I 



/ 

THE 

NEW PANTHEON; 

OR, 

AN INTRODUCTION 

TO THE 

MYTHOLOGY OF THE ANCIENTS, 

IN QUESTION AND ANSWER: 

COMPILED 

FOR THE USE OF YOUNG PERSONS. 

TO WHICH AHE ADDED, 

AN ACCENTUATED INDEX, 

QUESTIONS FOR EXERCISE, 

AND 

POETICAL ILLUSTRATIONS OF GRECIAN MYTHOLOGY, 
FROM HOMER AND VIRGIL. 

by w:%1llard hort. 



A NEW EDITION, 

CONSIDERABLY ENLARGED BY THE ADDITION OF 

LONDON: 

PRINTED FOR 

LONGMAN, REES, OR ME, BROWN, GREEN, & LONGMAN, 

PATERNOSTER-ROW. 



London i 
Printed by A. Spottiswoo»e s 
New-Strcet-Square. 



PREFACE. 



In poetry and works of elegant litera- 
ture allusions are so frequently made 
to the Mythology of the Antients, as to 
render it desirable that young persons 
should acquire some knowledge of that 
subject ; yet few of the sources whence 
information of this kind can be derived, 
are sufficiently pure to meet the eye of 
innocence. 

Before the glorious splendour of 
truth beamed forth from the Gospel of 
Christ, upon the darkened world, the 
pollutions of licentiousness were inter- 
mingled even with religious rites and 
compositions. 

Passions so degrading, and actions 
so shameful, were attributed by the 
Heathens to the false divinities whom 
a 2 



iV 



PREFACE* 



their deluded imaginations had devised, 
that from the contemplation of such a 
spectacle, the delicate mind must turn 
away with disgust ; so that, without 
some modification, such histories are 
utterly improper to be presented to the 
attention of youth. The following in- 
troduction to Pagan Mythology was 
intended to obviate this difficult 1 

In the successive editions 
work which the approbation of 1 
lie has called for, to the Grecian ana 
Eoman Mythology, illustrated by selec- 
tions from Homer and Virgil, have 
been added brief accounts of the 
Buddhic, Indian, Persian, Egyptian, 
Scythian, Celtic, Arabian, and Canaan- 
itish systems, diversified likewise by 
quotations from various poets ; to which 
is subjoined a slight sketch of the 
Mexican and Peruvian religious fables 
and ceremonies. ... 

The Mythology of the Greeks and 



PREFACE. 



V 



Romans is evidently drawn from that 
of the Oriental nations. 

Orpheus, Pythagoras, Thales, and 
other founders of Grecian philosophy 
and mythology, studied in Egypt; and 
having learned the doctrines of its 
priests, introduced them, modelled 
agreeably to their own ideas, into their 
own country. As this is the case, it 
might have appeared more natural to 
*be source before the stream; to 
:e the young student, first, to 
item mythology, and afterwards 
duct him to its corrupt but ele- 
gant offspring. Yet as the mythology 
of Greece and Rome occurs so much 
more frequently in those books which 
are most commonly, and most early, 
used in education, it has been deemed 
preferable to retain the order gene- 
rally adopted in works of this kind. 

The information given concerning 
the Oriental Mythology is borrowed 



VI 



PREFACE. 



principally from Maurice's Indian An- 
tiquities, and the Asiatic Researches ; 
from Faber's excellent work on the 
Pagan Mythology ; and from the Cy- 
clopaedia of Dr. liees. The Author 
acknowledges, likewise, his obligations 
to Dr. Prichard, for the information 
and pleasure he has received from his 
scientific work on Egyptian Mythology 
and Chronology. 

Finally, the Author presumes to 
hope that, improved by some few alter- 
ations, and by considerable additions, 
the New Pantheon may be found to 
possess a juster claim to that favour 
which it has already experienced, may 
continue to enjoy that support which 
it has hitherto found, and may meet 
with still more extensive patronage. 



Cork, January, 1824* 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 



Preface iii 

PART I. 

Chap. I. Definitions of Mythology and Idolatry... 1 

Chap. II. Grecian and Roman Mythology 2 

Chap. III. The most ancient Divinities according to 

the Greeks, Saturn, Cfbele 5 

Chap. IV. Vesta, Vestal Virgins 12 

Chap. V. Jupiter 15 

Chap. VI. Juno 22 

Chap. VII. Ceres 26 

Chap. VIII. Apollo and the Sun 29 

Chap. IX. Apollo 36 

Chap. X. The Muses 41 

Chap. XI. Diana 44 

Chap. XII. Bacclms 46 

Chap. XIII. Minerva 52 

Chap. XIV. Mars, Bellona, Victory 56 

Chap. XV. Venus, Cupid, and the Graces 60 

Chap. XVI. Vulcan 65 

Chap. XVII. Mercury 69 

Chap. XVIII. Divinities of the Sea and Rivers .... 73 

Chap. XIX. Tritons, Syrens, Proteus, &c 77 

Chap. XX. Eolus, Demogorgon, Bona Dea, Ter- 
minus „ S2 

Chap. XXI. Flora, Pomona, Priapus, Pales, 

Rural Divinities ^ 86 



Vlli CONTENTS. 

TAGS 



Chap. XXII. Pan 88 

Chap. XXIII. Sileniis, Lares, Penates, Genii, &c. 91 

Chap. XXIV. Infernal Regions 93 

Chap. XXV. Pluto, Proserpina Plutus 98 

Chap. XXVI. Judges of the Infernal Regions, 

Furies, Fates, Nemesis, Manes, Nox, Somnus, Mors 10! 
Chap. XXVII. Worship of the Infernal Deities, 

Infernal Criminals, Momus, Esculapius 105 

Chap. XXVIII. Of Heroes, Demigods, Centaurs, 

Sphynx, Chimsera, Harpies, and Gorgons 109 

Chap. XXIX. The seven Wonders of the World... 118 

PART II. 

Chap. I. Oriental Mythology 120 

Chap. II. Oriental Mythology, continued 122 

Chap. III. Paganism — Buddhism 125 

Chap. IV. Indian Mythology 129 

Chap. V. Egyptian Mythology 150 

Chap. VI. Persian Mythology 176 

Chap. VII. Scythian and Celtic Mythology 188 

Chap, VIII. Scandinavian Mythology 193 

Chap. IX. Arabian and Babylonian Mythology .... 213 
Chap. X. Idol deities of the Canaanites, Philistines, 

Syrians, &c. — and of the Mexicans and Peruvians 21 7 

Conclusion 222 

Questions 9 225 

Index 239 



THE 



NEW PANTHEON. 



PART I. 



CHAR I. 

What is Mythology? 

Mythology, an expression compounded of 
the two Greek words, ?nuthos 9 a fable, and, 
logos , a discourse, signifies a system of fables, 
or the fabulous history of the false gods of 
the heathen world. 

What is the meaning of the word Idolatry? 

The term Idolatry is derived from the two 
Greek words, eidolon and latreia, signifying 
worship and representation, or image ; and, 
consequently, it means the worship of images, 
or symbols of gods or superior powers. 

Where did Idolatry begin ? 

Idolatry appears to have had its origin in 
very early ages, in India, Egypt, and Phe- 
nicia ; whence it spread into Chaldea, Meso- 

B 



2 GRECIAN AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY. 



potamia, and the neighbouring countries. 
From them it passed into Asia Minor, Greece, 
and the adjacent islands. In the time of 
Moses, the illustrious Hebrew lawgiver, Ido- 
latry had attained to so great a height, that, 
through him, the only true God gave the 
children of Israel a number of peculiar rites 
and ceremonies, to remove them, as far as 
possible, from its pernicious contagion, and 
to keep them separate from the surrounding 
nations, among whom it prevailed. 



CHAP. II. 

GRECIAN AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY. 

The Mythology of the Greeks and the 
Romans is evidently derived from that of 
the Oriental nations. Orpheus, Pythagoras, 
Thales, and other founders of Grecian phi- 
losophy and mythology, travelled and studied 
in Egypt, where they learned those doctrines, 
which, having modelled according to their 
own ideas, they introduced into Greece. 
These were, in the course of time, diver- 
sified and augmented, until they expande 



GRECIAN AND ROMAN MYTHOLOGY. 3 

into that bulky, complicated system of my- 
thology, which the poets adorned with all 
the charms of imagery and verse. 

How may the Deities of Grecian and Ro- 
man Mythology be classed ? 

They are generally arranged in the fol- 
lowing classes : — The Celestial ; the Marine ; 
the Terrestrial ; the Infernal. To these may 
be added the class of Inferior Divinities, of 
whose residence no determinate ideas were 
given. 

How were the Celestial Divinities arranged 
by Grecian Mythologists ? 

The Celestial Deities were ranked in four 
distinct orders. 

What was the first order or division? 

The first order comprised the Supreme 
Gods, who were likewise called Gods of the 
Nations, because they were known and revered 
by every nation. They were twenty in 
number. 

How were the Deities of this first order 
farther divided, and what were their names ? 

They were divided into two classes; the 
first was called the Council of Jupiter, the 
supreme divinity, and was composed of six 
B 2 



4. 



CELESTIAL DEITIES. 



gods, namely, Jupiter, Neptune, Mercury, 
Apollo, Mars, Vulcan; and of six goddesses, 
namely, Juno, Ceres, Minerva, Vesta, Diana, 
and Venus. 

The second class was composed of eight 
divinities, who did not assist at the supreme 
Council. They were named Dii Selecti — 
Select Gods. These were Coelus, Saturn, 
Genius, Orcus, Sol, Bacchus, Terra, and 
Luna. 

Of what was the second order composed ? 

The second order included the gods whom 
Ovid styled the celestial populace. They 
were called the Inferior Gods of Nations. 
They had no place in heaven ; nor were they 
admitted to the Council of Jupiter. Pan, 
Pomona, Flora, and the other rural Deities, 
were of this class. 

What was the third order? 

The third order was composed of demi- 
gods, who derived their origin from a god 
and a mortal, or from a goddess and a mortal. 
Such were Hercules, Esculapius, Castor, 
Pollux, &c. Heroes likewise, who, by their 
valour, had raised themselves to the rank of 
immortals, had a place among these. 



CELESTIAL DEITIES. 



5 



What was the fourth order ? 

The fourth order contained the virtues 
which had formed great men ; Fidelity, 
Concord, Courage, Prudence, and others; 
and even the miseries of life, as Poverty, 
Pain, &c. 

What were the Indigetes and Semones ? 

Those divinities who were not of the first 
or second class. The word, Semones, sig- 
nifies half men, as being descended from an 
immortal and a mortal. Indigetes signifies 
deified mortals, or the peculiar gods of any 
country. 



chap. nr. 

Which, according to the Greeks, was the 
yiost ancient of the divinities ? 

Coelus, or Heaven, whom the Greeks called 
Uranus, was, by their account, the most an- 
cient of the gods, as Vesta Prisca, or Terra, 
different names for the earth, was of the god- 
desses. Their sons were called Titan and 

B 3 



6 



SATURN. 



Saturn, which latter was the same as Chronos, 
or time. * 

What is the history of Titan and Saturn, 
the sons of Coelus and Terra? 

The right of seniority assigned the king- 
dom to Titan, who, in compliance with his 
mother's desire, yielded his right to his 
younger brother Saturn, on condition that he 
should destroy ail his male children. Con- 
formably to this agreement, Saturn devoured 
his sons as fast as they were born. 

What appears to be the meaning of this 
barbarous story? 

The name Chronos, given to Saturn, sig- 
nifies time ; and, as time sees all things pro- 
duced, and all things perish, it is allegorically 
said, that Time or Saturn devours his own 
offspring. 

What is the continuation of this fiction? 
Rhea, or Cybele, the wife of Saturn, con- 
cealed one of her sons, and had him privately 

* Some writers have supposed that Saturn was no other 
than Nimrod, that mighty hunter before the Lord, who first 
usurped arbitrary power over his brethren of mankind. 
Others have imagined that Saturn was Noah himself, and 
that his sons Jupiter, Neptune, and Ffelo, were Ham, 
Japhet, and Shem, the founders of Nations, 



SATURN. 



7 



educated ; but all her precautions could not 
prevent Titan, the elder brother, from being 
informed of what had passed ; who, wishing 
to preserve to his children their right of suc- 
cession, made war on Saturn, conquered him, 
and confined both him and Cybele, till their 
son Jupiter released them by vanquishing 
Titan. But, taking the government into his 
own hands, he drove away his father Saturn, 
who sought refuge in Italy, with Janus, king 
of that country, by whom he was hospitably 
received. In gratitude for the kind reception 
he met with, Saturn endowed Janus with 
extraordinary prudence, with knowledge of 
future events, and with perpetual remem- 
brance of the past. This the ancients wished 
to express by representing him with a double 
face ; whence he is called Bifrons. We learn 
from history, that Janus was represented 
with two faces, because he governed two dif- 
ferent people, and because he divided his 
kingdom with Saturn. He likewise caused 
med&fe to be struck with two faces, to shew 
that his dominions should be governed by 
ihe joint counsels of himself and Saturn. 



8 



SATURN. JANUS. 



What have the poets said farther concern- 
ing Saturn ? 

The reputation of Saturn grew so famous 
in Latium, that the mountain, afterwards 
named the Capitoline Hill, was called Satur- 
ninus. From him, all Italy was sometimes 
called Saturnia; and the festival of the Sa- 
turnalia was instituted in honour of him, and 
of the happy state of things which prevailed, 
during his reign, in Italy, emphatically called 
the golden age, # 

What were the actions and attributes of 
Janus ? 

Janus received divine honours ; but neither 
Saturn, nor he, was ever ranked among the 
Deities of the first class. Janus must be 
reckoned among those gods called Indigetes. 
Besides his having two faces, he was repre- 
sented with a wand in his hand, as inspector 
of the public roads ; and with a key, as being 

* During this festival, which lasted, at first, only one 
day, but from the time of Julius Csesar, three, four, and 
five days successively, there was an universal cessation of 
business amongst the Romans ; unbounded hilarity prevailed, 
and even the slaves shared in the general joy, being placed 
upon an equality with their masters, and allowed to taste 
the sweets of liberty. 



JANUS. — SATURN. 



9 



the inventor of doors. Numa Pompilius 
erected a temple to him, which was open in 
time of war, and shut during peace. The 
invention of crowns and boats was attributed 
to him ; he was also the first who coined cop- 
per money. This Prince came from Perhi- 
bea, a town of Thessaly, into Italy. Pie there 
civilized the manners of the people, who 
were living in a wild and savage state; and 
when success had crowned his efforts, grati- 
tude raised altars to his memory. 

How was Saturn represented? 

The ancient statues of Saturn wear chains, 
in remembrance of those with which his son 
loaded him. These were taken off during 
the festival of the Saturnalia, to shew that 
his reign had been that of happiness and 
liberty. He is frequently represented under 
the form of an old man, armed with a scythe, 
to imply that he presided over the times and 
seasons. Under this form, he was called 
Chronos or Time, 

What is the history of Cybele ? 

Cybele was generally regarded as the mo- 
ther of the gods, and, on that account, was 
called Mama Mater — the Great Mother, 



10 



CYBELE. 



She had many names, the most common of 
which are : Dindymene, Idaea, and Berecyn- 
thia, from different mountains, where she 
was worshiped. She was likewise called 
Ops and Tellus, as presiding over the earth ; 
and Rhea, from a Greek word, signifying to 
flow; because all plants, trees, and animals 
proceed from the earth. The box and pine 
trees were esteemed sacred to her. History 
informs us, that Cybele was the daughter of 
a king of Phrygia, who came from her own 
country into Italy, where she married Sa- 
turn. She was the first who fortified the 
walls of cities with towers, and she is there- 
fore depicted with a crown of towers on her 
head. 

How is Cybele described ? 

Cybele is generally represented sitting, to 
denote the stability of the earth ; and bear- 
ing a drum or disk, emblematical of the 
winds confined in the bowels of the earth. 
She wears a crown of towers, as before men- 
tioned. She has keys in her hand, to signify 
her keeping, locked up in her bosom, the 
seeds of every sort of fruit. Her temples 
were round, in imitation of the form of the 



CYBELE. 



11 



earth. The feasts of Cybele were called 
Megalesia, and her priests Galli, from a river 
of Phrygia ; or Corybantes, from their strik- 
ing themselves in their dances; or Curetes, 
from the island Crete, where they brought 
up Jupiter ; or Dactyli, from the Greek word 
signifying fingers, because they were ten in 
number, like the fingers. The feasts of this 
goddess were celebrated with the noise of 
drums and cymbals, and with frightful yells 
and cries. * 

She had a temple at Rome, called Oper- 
tum, into which men were never admitted. 

Great guardian queen of Ida's hills and woods, 
Supreme, majestic mother of the gods ! 
Whose strong defence proud tow'ring cities share, 
While roaring lions whirl thy mighty car ! 
Oh ! kindly second this auspicious sign, 
And grace thy Phrygians with thy aid divine. 
Inspir'd by thee, the combat I require, 
My bosom kindles, and my soul's on fire. 

Pitt's Virgil. 

* Her priests were seated on the ground when they 
sacrificed, and offered only the hearts of the victims. 



12 



VESTA. 



CHAP. IV. 

Who was Vesta? 

Vesta was the daughter of Saturn ; the 
goddess of fire; emblematical of that pure 
vital heat, which, being diffused through the 
frame of Man, enlivens and cherishes him. 
Numa Pompilius raised an altar to her, and 
instituted those celebrated priestesses who 
bore the name of Vestals, or Vestal Virgins. 

What was the number of these Priestesses 
of Vesta ? 

At first, they were only four in number, but 
were, afterwards, increased to seven. 

At what age were they consecrated to Ves- 
ta, and how long did their time of service 
last? 

The Roman virgins, destined for the ser- 
vice of Vesta, were chosen between the age 
of six and ten years. The time of their con- 
secration to the goddess lasted thirty years, 
and it was not till after this term that they 
were free from their priesthood, and at liberty 
to marry. During the first ten years, they 
were instructed in the duties of their profes* 



VESTAL VIRGINS. 



IS 



sion, practised them during the second ten, 
and in the last ten years, instructed the 
novices. 

What was the principal duty of these 
virgins ? 

The chief employment of the vestals con- 
sisted in constantly maintaining the sacred 
fire, which burned in honour of Vesta. This 
fire was renewed by the rays of the sun, 
yearly, during the kalends of March, or latter 
part of February. 

What degree of importance was attributed 
to the preservation of this fire? 

It was considered as being so important, 
that when it happened to expire, all public 
spectacles were forbidden till the crime was 
expiated. 

This event was the subject of general 
mourning, and considered as a most direful 
presage. If either of the Vestal virgins had 
neglected her duty, or violated her vows, 
nothing could save her from the dreadful 
death of being buried alive. 

What was the temple of Vesta supposed to 
contain ? 

It was said to contain, besides the conse- 

c 



24 



VESTAL VIRGINS, 



crated fire, the Palladium, or sacred image 
of Minerva, and the Lares and Penates, or 
household gods, which iEneas saved from the 
destruction of Troy, and brought to Italy. 

Whence did the Romans derive this wor- 
ship of Vesta ? 

It is certain that the worship of Vesta, or 
of fire, was brought by iEneas from Phrygia; 
but the Phrygians received it originally from 
the East. The Chaldeans held fire in great 
veneration, and worshiped it as an emblem 
of the Deity. Zoroaster taught the Persians 
to venerate the Sun as the most glorious 
image of the Supreme Being, and to regard 
fire as the most striking emblem of his bene- 
ficent influence. The sacred fire, drawn 
from sun-beams, accompanied the Persian 
Monarchs in their wars ; and their utter ab- 
horrence of any other representation of the 
Divinity, instigated them to demolish the 
Grecian temples and statues of the Gods, 



L onaTTuvn' Sc C° Paternoster Ro w. 



JUPITER. 



15 



CHAR V. 

What was the idea which the Pagans en- 
tertained concerning Jupiter? 

The generality of their philosophers sup- 
posed Jupiter the greatest of the Gods, to be 
the purest air, the eether : and Juno his wife, 
the grosser air which surrounds the earth. 

Those who looked upon him as an ani- 
mated God, as one of those men whose 
illustrious actions had procured him divine 
honours, contradicted themselves most egre- 
giously : sometimes describing him as absolute 
sovereign of Gods and men ; as the principle 
of all justice; and not unfrequently as the 
weakest and most criminal of mortals. He 
was supposed to be the master of the air, the 
clouds, the thunder and lightning; the God 
of foresight; the patron of strangers; the 
guardian of the rights of hospitality; the 
peculiar judge and protector of sovereigns 
and magistrates. 

Were there not different Jupiters among 
different nations ? 

Yes; and this circumstance renders his 
c 2 



16 



JUPITER. 



history the more obscure. The first of them, 
is the Jupiter Amnion of the Libyans, who, 
there is reason to believe, was Ham, one of 
the sons of Noah. His temple, the ruins of 
which are still to be seen, was in an Oasis, 
or island of verdure, in the desert, west of 
Egypt. Jupiter Serapis, worshiped in Egypt, 
is also very ancient. Jupiter Belus, men- 
tioned by Herodotus, was the Jupiter of the 
Assyrians. In short, almost every nation 
had its own Jupiter. The Ethiopians called 
him Assabinus; the Gauls, Taranus; the 
inhabitants of the lower Nile, Apis. The 
Romans considered him as the peculiar guar- 
dian God of their empire. They styled him 
Jupiter Capitolinus, from his chief temple on 
the Capitoline hill; Jupiter Tonans, or 
Thunderer ; Jupiter Fulminans, or Fulgura- 
tor, Scatterer of the Lightning, Hurler of 
the Thunderbolts. 

What was the fabulous history of this 
God? 

Jupiter having been saved from the devour- 
ing fury of his father Saturn, by the address 
of Rhea his mother, as has before been 
recounted, and nourished by the milk of the 



JUPITER. 



17 



goat Amalthea, delivered his brothers and 
sisters from prison, made war upon Saturn, 
and being furnished with thunderbolts by 
the Cyclops, and aided by Neptune and 
Pluto, vanquished and precipitated him into 
the icwest depths of Tartarus. Dividing the 
empire of the universe into three parts, he 
retained Heaven for himself, entrusted the 
Sea to Neptune, and allotted to Pluto the 
infernal regions. 

How do the learned explain this celebrated 
division of the universe? 

They almost all agree in regarding it as a 
confused tradition of the repeopling the 
world after the deluge, as related in the book 
of Genesis. Noah divided the earth among 
his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet. 
Ham went into Africa: and there is great 
probability that he was the person afterwards 
known under the name of Jupiter Ammon. 
Japhet had for his share the maritime parts 
of Asia, with the Archipelago and Europe, 
which caused him to be accounted, in after- 
times, the God of the sea. Shem had the 
rest of Asia, where the worship of fire became 
almost general, and thiA occasioning con- 



18 



JUPITER. 



flagrations of many cities, procured him the 
name of God of the infernal Regions. 

What was the real history of Jupiter ? 

His father, Saturn, who reigned over a 
very large empire, being suspicious of his 
children, caused them all to be confined. 
Rhea, Jupiter's mother, had the address to 
save him, and sent him from Arcadia, where 
he then was, into Crete, to the recesses of 
mount Ida. The Titans revolted against 
Saturn and imprisoned him ; Jupiter leaving 
Crete, defeated them, re-established his father, 
and returned victorious. Saturn, again grow- 
ing jealous of Jupiter, came to attack him in 
Crete, but being driven back into Greece, 
and defeated even there, he fled into Italy, 
where he was kindly received by Janus. 
Exciting the Titans against his son, and 
being again beaten, he fled with them into 
Spain. Jupiter followed them thither, gave 
them another defeat, and thus terminated the 
war, after it had lasted ten years. Becom- 
ing master of such a mighty empire, he found 
it necessary to appoint governors to assist 
him. Of these, Atlas, who was set over the 
iron tiers of Africa, became so famous there, 



JUPITER. 



19 



that he gave name to the chain of mountains 
extending to the sea ; which appellation they 
still retain; and the ocean that washes them 
was called the Atlantic Ocean. Jupiter 
ended his days in his favourite island Crete, 
having lived 120 years, and reigned 60, after 
the defeat of the Titans. 

What were the principal names of this 
God? 

He was called Jou, that is, young, from 
being the youngest of Saturn's sons, and 
from gaining great reputation in his youth. 
Afterwards Pater, or father, was added to it; 
whence was formed Joupater and Jupiter. 
He was also called Zeus ; Optimus Maximus, 
or the Best, and Greatest; Jove; King of 
Gods and Men ; All-powerful ; Diespater, or 
Father of Day ; Pluvius, as commanding the 
rain. The Thunderer, as master of the 
thunder and lightning. 

What was the worship offered to this 
Divinity ? 

It was the most solemn of any paid to 
the heathen Deities ; and, among different 
nations, greatly diversified. The victims 
most commonly offered to Jupiter, were a 



20 



JUPITER. 



goat, a sheep, or a white bull, with gilded 
horns; and, not unfrequently, only flour, 
salt, or incense. The oak and the olive 
were consecrated to him. He had three 
oracles, much celebrated; that of Dodona, 
that of Trophonius, and that of Ammon, in 
Lybia. 

What was his character ? 

In their extreme blindness, the heathens, 
though ascribing to him power, wisdom, and 
justice, yet intermingled, in his character, 
many shameful vices and weaknesses of mor- 
tality. In his real history, as an earthly 
monarch, he would have been a truly illustri- 
ous Prince, had he not been excessively 
addicted to pleasure, and indulgent to his 
vicious passions. 

In what manner was Jupiter represented ? 

Jupiter was generally represented seated 
on a throne, under the figure of a majestic 
man, with a venerable beard. In his right- 
xiand, holding the thunder; in his left, a 
sceptre made of cypress wood, expressive of 
durability, and the image of victory ; tread- 
ing the Titans under his feet, and having an 



JUPITER. 



21 



eagle near him with extended wings. The 
upper part of his body was naked, the lower 
part clothed. The throne denoted the sta- 
oility of his empire ; the upper part of his 
body, being uncovered, signified that he was 
visible to superior beings, and the celestial 
regions, while the long garments robing the 
lower part, expressed his invisibility to mortals. 
The sceptre was emblematical of his irre- 
sistible power ; and the eagle with out- 
stretched wings, of his sovereignty over the 
heavens. Homer describes him with black 
eyebrows and curling hair; his head sur- 
rounded with clouds, and shaking the heavens 
with his nod; the eagle placed at his feet; 
the winged thunderbolt in his hand ; by his 
side, respect and equity; before him, two 
urns of good and evil, which he distributes 
at pleasure to mankind. His thunderbolt 
was composed of hail, rain, fire, and wind, 
intermixed with lightning, terror, noise, and 
wrath. 

He whose all conscious eyes the world behold, 
Tli' eternal Thunderer, sits enthron'd in gold. 
High heaven the footstool of his feet he makes, 
And, wide beneath him, all Olympus shakes. 



22 



JUPITER. 



He speaks, and awful bends his sable brows, 
Shakes his ambrosial curls and gives the nod ; 
The stamp of fate and sanction of the God ; 
Higji heav'n, with trembling, the dread signal takes, 
And all Olympus to the centre shakes. 

Pope s Homer's Iliad. 

Then spake th s almighty Father as he sate 

Enthron'd in gold ; and closed the great debate ; 

Th' attentive winds a solemn silence keep ; 

The wondering waves lie level on the deep ; 

Earth to the centre shakes ; high heav'n is awed, 

And all th' immortal pow'rs stand trembling at the God. 

Pitt's Virgil. 

Great Jove himself, whom dreadful darkness shrouds, 
Pavilion'd in the thickness of the clouds, 
With lightning arm'd, his red right hand puts forth, 
And shakes, with burning bolts, the solid earth ; 
The nations shrink appall'd ; the beasts are fled : 
All human hearts are sunk and pierc'd with dread ; 
He strikes vast Rhodope's exalted crown, 
And hurls huge Athos and Ceraunia down. 
Thick fall the rains ; the wind redoubled roars ; 
The God now smites the woods, and now the sounding 
shores. Pitt's Virgil. 



CHAR vr. 



Who was Juno? 

The daughter of Saturn; the sister and 



Tub^ty lorwrruzrb 8c C? Paternoster Row. 



JUNO. 



23 



wife of Jupiter. She was called by the 
Greeks Hera, or Mistress : or Megale, the 
Great. The Romans gave her the name of 
Juno Matrona, or the Matron ; Juno Regina, 
or the Queen; Juno Moneta, the Admonisher. 

Where was she born? 

Several cities disputed the honour of hav- 
ing given birth to this goddess : principally, 
Samos, and Argos, where she was more par- 
ticularly worshiped. 

Who were her children ? 

Hebe, Mars, and Vulcan. 

What was her character? 

She was haughty and jealous, frequently 
quarreling with her husband Jupiter, and 
implacable in her anger. 

Under what figure was she generally 
represented ? 

As a majestic woman, seated upon a 
throne, holding, in one hand, a sceptre, and 
n the other, a spindle; wearing a radiant 
crown, and sometimes having her head 
encircled with a rainbow. Near her was 
generally placed her favourite bird, the pea- 
cock. In her temple at Argos, was her 
statue of gold and ivory, of prodigious size^ 



24 



JUNO. 



above which were placed the Hours and 
Oraces. 

What were her attributes and worship ? 

This goddess presided over empires and 
riches, and her worship was very solemn and 
universal in the heathen world. Young geese, 
and the hawk, as well as the peacock, were 
esteemed sacred to her. Of plants, the dit- 
tany and poppy were offered to her. In her 
sacrifices, an ewe lamb was the ordinary vic- 
tim. She was regarded as the protectress of 
married women, and invoked by them under 
the name of Juno Lucina. 

JUNO'S CHARIOT. 

She speaks ; Minerva burns to meet the war, 
And now heav'n's empress calls her blazing car. 
At her command rush forth the steeds divine ; 
Rich with immortal gold their trappings shine. 
Bright Hebe waits ; by Hebe ever young, 
The whirling wheels are to the chariot hung. 
On the bright axle turns the bidden wheel 
Of sounding brass ; the polished axle, steel. 
Eight brazen spokes in radiant order flame ; 
The circles gold, of uncorrupted frame, 
Such as the heavens produce : and round the gol<$ ; 
Two brazen rings of work divine were roll'd. 
The bossy naves, of solid silver, shone ; 
JBraces of gold suspend the moving throne. 



HEBE. IRIS. 25 

The car, behind, an arching figure bore ; 

The bending concave form'd an arch before. 

Silver the beam, th' extended yoke was gold, 

And golden reins the immortal coursers hold ; 

Herself, impatient, to the ready car 

The coursers joins, and breathes revenge and war. 

Pope's Homer's Iliad. 

What were the offices of Hebe ? 

She was the blooming Goddess of youth ; 
and was cup-bearer to Jupiter, until by an 
unfortunate fall, having displeased him, she 
was deprived of that honour. Ganymede, 
the beautiful son of Tros, king of Troy, was 
substituted in her place. 

Who was Iris ? 

The attendant of Juno, as Mercury was 
of Jupiter. She is represented as being 
extremely beautiful ; descending upon the 
rainbow, with expanded wings; a blaze of 
glory round her head ; and clothed in float- 
ing robes of brilliant and varying colours. 
Her peculiar offices were, to convey the com- 
mands of Juno ; to create dissensions ; and to 
release the souls of females struggling in the 
pangs of death. * She is the personification 
of the rainbow. 



D 



26 



CERES. 



CHAP. VIL 

Who was Ceres? 

Ceres was the daughter of Saturn and 
Cybele, and was supposed to be the first who 
cultivated the earth. 

What was her history ? 

Pluto, her brother, having carried off her 
daughter Proserpine, and taken her to the 
infernal regions, Ceres complained of this 
act of violence to Jupiter, who decreed that 
she should go and demand her daughter, and 
that Pluto should be compelled to restore 
her, provided she had neither eaten nor 
drunken during her residence in his domini- 
ons. Unfortunately she had taken part of a 
pomegranate, which was perceived and dis- 
co vered> by Ascalaphus. This so irritated 
Ceres, that she threw some of the water of 
Phlegethon into the informer's face, and 
changed him into an owl, the harbinger of 
misfortune. Minerva afterwards took the 
owl under her protection, because it is a 
watchful bird and discerns objects in the 
dark. An allegory, expressive of wisdom, 



CERES. 



27 



being always vigilant and guarded against 
surprise. 

What appears to be the meaning of the 
Fable? 

By the advice of Ascalaphus, Proserpine 
consented to marry Pluto, which was the 
cause of much regret to Ceres. Ascala- 
phus, thereupon, became the object of her 
vengeance; but his prudence and wisdom 
engaged Minerva to take him under her pro- 
tection. Jupiter, to comfort and appease 
Ceres, ordained that Proserpine should pass 
only one half of the year in the infernal 
regions, and the other in heaven. Proser- 
pine was frequently considered as being the 
moon, and this fable might be intended to 
express her time of disappearing. 

Under what figure was Ceres represented ? 

Under that of a tall majestic woman, with 
yellow hair, surmounted by ears of corn, 
Her right-hand, filled with poppies and wheat, 
and her left, grasping a lighted torch. 

What were her attributes ? 

She is the goddess of fruits ; for her very 
name is derived from the care she was sup- 
posed to take in producing and preserving the 
D 2 



CERES. 



fruits of the earth. She is said to have 
taught the art of tilling the earth, and sowing 

corn, and making bread. 

What were the sacrifices offered to this 

Goddess? 

Swine, because they destroy the produc- 
tions of the earth ; and garlands, composed 
of ears of corn, were offered to her. The 
husbandmen carried through the fields, a 
sow big with young, or a cow-calf, * at the 
beginning of harvest, with dancing and shouts 
of joy. One of them, adorned with a crown, 
sang the praises of Ceres ; and after they had 
offered an oblation of wine mixed with honey 
and milk, before they began to reap, they 
sacrificed the sow. 

To Ceres bland, her annual rites be paid, 
On the green turf, beneath the fragrant shade ; 
When winter ends and spring serenely shines, 
Then fat the lambs, then mellow are the wines : 
Then sweet are slumbers on the flowery ground ; 
Then with thick shades are lofty mountains crown'd. 
Let all the hinds bend low at Ceres' shrine ; 
Mix honey sweet, for her, with milk and mellow wine 
Thrice lead the victim the new fruits around, 
And Ceres call, and choral hymns resound. 
Presume not, swains, the ripened grain to reap, 
Till erowned with oak in antic dance you leap, 



CERES. 



29 



Invoking Ceres ; and in solemn lays, 
Exalt your rural queen's immortal praise. 

Pitt's Virgil. 



CHAR VIII. 

OF APOLLO AND OF THE SUN. 

Were Apollo, and Sol or the Sun, consi- 
dered to be the same ? 

The Greeks and Romans confounded the 
Sun with Apollo; but ancient monuments 
prove that they should be distinguished from 
each other. 

Under what figures are they represented ? 

Apollo is always represented as a young 
man, having a bow or lyre in his hand ; while 
the Sun is depicted with his head surrounded 
with rays, holding in one hand a globe. 

By what people was the Sun worshiped? 

The adoration of the Sun is the first ido- 
latrous worship known. 

The Egyptians, Phenicians, Arabians, and 
Persians, adored the Sun, long before the 
Apollo of the Greeks was known. The Chal- 
D 3 



30 



&POLLO AND THE SUN. 



deans called him Belus ; the Egyptians, Osi- 
ris; the Ammonites, Moloch; the Persians, 
.Myth r as. 

What were the attributes of Sol ? 

He was considered as ruling over the va- 
rious changes of the year, attended by the 
months and hours ; he is represented riding 
in a chariot drawn by four horses, Eous, Py- 
rois, Ethon, and Phlegon ; Greek words, 
signifying red, luminous, hot, and loving the 
earth. The first, denotes the rising of the 
Sun, whose rays are then red ; the second, 
the period when he acquires a brighter co- 
lour; the third, signifies noon, when he is in 
all his glory ; and the fourth, the time of his 
setting, when he appears to approach the 
earth. 

THE PALACE OF THE SUN. 

The Sun's bright palace on high columns rais'd> 
With buraish'd gold and flaming jewels blaz'd. 
The folding gates diffus'd a silver light, 
And with a milder gleam refresh'd the sight. 
Of polish'd iv'ry was the covering wrought, 
The matter rival'd not the Sculptor's thought, 
For in the portal was display 'd on high, 
(The work of Vulcan) a fictitious sky. 



THE SUN. 



31 



A waving sea the inferior earth embrac'd, 

And Gods and Goddesses the water grac'd. 

On earth, a different landscape courts the eyes, 

Men, towns, and beasts in distant prospects rise ; 

And nymphs and streams and woods and rural deities. 

O'er all, the heaven's refulgent image shines, 

On either gate were six engraven signs. 

The God sits high exalted on a throne 

Of blazing gems with purple garments on. 

The Hours in order, rang'd on either hand, 

And Days and Months and Years and Ages stand. 

Here Spring appears with flowery chaplets bound ; 

Here Summer with her wh eaten garlands crown' d ; 

Here Autumn the rich trodden grapes besmear, 

And hoary Winter shivers in the rear. 

CHARIOT AND HORSES OF THE SUN. 

A golden axle did the car uphold ; 

Gold was the beam ; the wheels were orbed with gold ; 

Hie spokes in rows of silver pleased the sight, 

The seat with party-colour'd gems was bright ; 

Apollo shone amid the glare of light : 

He bade the nimble Hours, without delay, 

Bring forth the steeds ; the nimble Hours obey. 

From their full racks the gen'rous steeds retire, 

Dropping ambrosial foam and snorting fire, 

And now the fiery horses neigh'd aloud, 

Breathing out flames and pawing where they stood. 

They spring together forth, and swiftly bear 

The bounding car through clouds and yielding air. 

With winged speed, outstrip the eastern wind, 

And leave the breezes of the morn behind. 

Ovid's Metamorphoses, 



32 



CHILDREN OF THE SUN. 



Who were the children of the Sun ? 

The Sun was supposed to have many chil- 
dren ; the most celebrated of whom were, 
Aurora, Circe, and Phaeton. Aurora, every 
morning, opens the gates of heaven, precedes 
her father, and announces his return. She 
petitioned the Gods to bestow immortality 
upon Tithonus, son of Laomedon, king of 
Troy, whom she had married, forgetting to 
request perpetual youth to be granted with it. 
Consequently, Tithonus was burthen ed with 
all the infirmities of old age, while Aurora 
still flourished in full bloom. He intreated 
Aurora to obtain a reversion of this fatal 
gift, and permission to die. 

This beautiful allegory is intended to paint, 
in striking colours, the imprudence of many 
of our wishes, and to shew that were they all 
to be granted, they would frequently be pro- 
ductive of misery instead of happiness. 

What is the history of Phaeton ? 

In order to prove that he was really the 
child of the Sun, Phaeton demanded of his 
father, to drive the chariot of light for one 
day. The Sun having sworn to grant what- 
ever Phaeton should ask 3 could not refuse. 



PHAETON. 



33 



In vain did he give to the rash youth, the 
most prudent directions for the management 
of the horses. They soon perceived the 
weakness and inexperience of the charioteer : 
quitted the usual track, and involved earth 
and heaven in one general conflagration. To 
save the world from absolute destruction, Ju- 
piter hurled his dreadful thunderbolt, dashed 
Phaeton lifeless from the car into the river 
Po, in Italy, and scattered the fiery coursers. 
His sisters, called the Heliades, or daughters 
of the Sun, stood weeping in mournful silence 
round the body of their beloved brother, till 
they were changed into poplars, and their 
tears became amber. His friend and relative, 
Cycnns. likewise, died of grief, and was meta- 
morphosed into a swan. 

THE FALL OF PHAETON. 
Jove call'd to witness every power above, 
And e'en the God whose son the chariot drove, 
That what he acts, he is compell'd to do, 
Or universal ruin must ensue. 
Straight he ascends the high ethereal throne, 
Whence fierce he us'd to dart his thunder down ; 
Whence his dread show'rs and storms he used to pour ; 
Then aiming at the youth with lifted hand 
Full at his head he hurl'd the flaming brand, 
In awful thunderings — 



34 



CIRCE. 



At once from life and from the chariot driv'n> 

The ambitious boy fell thunderstruck from heav'n ; 

The coursers started with a sudden bound, 

And flung the reins and chariot to the ground : 

The studded harness from their necks they broke, 

Here fell a wheel, and here a silver spoke ; 

Here, the bright beam and axle torn away, 

And scatter'd o'er the earth, the shining fragments lay* 

The breathless Phaeton, with flaming hair, 

Shot from the chariot, like a falling star ; 

Till on the Po his blasted corpse was hurl'd, 

Par from his country in the western world. 

Ovid's Met. 

What was the history of Circe? 

Circe was a most skilful sorceress, who 
poisoned her husband, a king of the Sarma- 
tians. For this horrible action, she was 
banished by her subjects, and flying into 
Italy, established herself upon the promon- 
tory Circcum. She fell in love with Glaucus, 
51 sea god, who, preferring a sea nymph, called 
Scylla, Circe transformed her into a sea 
monster, by poisoning the water, in which 
she was accustomed to bathe. She is said to 
have changed men into beasts, and to have 
drawn down the stars from heaven, by her 
powerful incantations. Circe was the emblem 
of voluptuousness; which, by this allegory 



CIRCE. 



35 



the poets taught, degraded those into brute 
beasts who became its slaves, although their 
genius and talents might have been bright, 
as the stars in the firmament, 

CIRCE. 

The Palace in a woody vale they found. 
High rais'd of stone ; a shady space around, 
Where mountain wolves and brindled lions roam, 
By magic tam'd, familiar to the dome. 
With gentle blandishment, our men they meet, 
And wag their tails, and fawning lick their feet. 
Now on the threshold of the dome they stood, 
And heard a voice resounding thro' the wood. 
Placed at her loom, within, the Goddess sung, 
The vaulted roofs and solid pavement rung. 
On thrones around, with downy coverings trac'd, 
With semblance fair, th' unhappy men she plac'd* 
Milk newly press'd, the sacred flour of wheat, 
And honey fresh and Pramnian wines, the treat. 
But venom'd was the bread, and mix'd the bowl, 
With drugs of force to darken all the soul. 
Soon, in the luscious feast, themselves they lost, 
And drank oblivion of their native coast. 
Instant her circling wand the Goddess waves, 
To hogs transforms them ; whom the sty receives. 
No more was seen the human form divine, 
Head, face, and members, bristle into swine. 
Still curst with sense, their minds remain alone, 
And their own voice affrights them when they groan. 

Pope's Homer's Odyssey* 



36 



CIRCE. 



Now by rich Circe's coast they bend their way ? 

Circe, fair daughter of the God of day. 

A dangerous shore ; the echoing forests rung, 

While at. the loom the beauteous Goddess sung j 

Bright cedar brands supply her father's rays, 

Perfume the dome, and round the palace blaze. 

Here, wolves with howlings scare the naval train, 

And lions roar, reluctant to the chain. 

Here, growling bears and swine their ears affright, 

And break the solemn silence of the night. 

These once were men ; But Circe's charms confine, 

In brutal shapes, the human form divine. 

Pitt's VirgiL 



CHAR IX. 

Who was Apollo? 

The son of Jupiter and Latona. 

Juno, incessantly pursuing her rival La- 
tona, prevailed upon the Earth to afford her 
no asylum. Upon this, Latona took refuge 
in a floating island of the Archipelago, called 
Delos, which was frequently covered by the 
waves. Moved with compassion for her 
hapless fate, Neptune secured the island from 
being inundated, and rooted it firmly in the 
sea. Therein were bora Apollo and Diana, 
her twin children. 



> 



APOLLO. 



S7 



What were the names of Apollo? 

He was called Delos, from the island in 
which he was born. Phoebus, a word signi- 
fying light and life. Pythius, from the dread- 
ful serpent Python, which he killed with his 
arrows; Cynthius, from Mount Cynthus, in 
Delos ; Delphicus from Delphi : Nomius, or 
.aw-giver; and Paean, from his mitigating 
pain, or from his great skill in hunting. 

What were the attributes of Apollo ? 

He was supposed to preside over music, 
physic, poetry, and rhetoric; to teach the 
art of divination, or foretelling future events ; 
and that of archery. He was esteemed capa- 
ble of inflicting, as well as of removing, pes- 
tilential disorders. The laurel was dedicated 
to him. 

What were his actions ? 

Among many absurd and immoral actions 
ascribed to him, as well as to the other 
heathen divinities, the following exploits are 
said to have been performed by Apollo. He 
destroyed the Cyclops, huge one-eyed giants, 
who forged Jupiter's thunder-bolts, in order 
to revenge the death of his son Esculapins, 
who was killed by thunder, for having, by 

E 



APOLLO. 



his great skill in physic, prevented men from 
dying, and thus depopulated the infernal 
regions, For this, Apollo was banished 
from the celestial realms, and forced, for a 
time, to undergo many trials and difficulties 
on earth. During his banishment, he invented 
the harp. 

It is asserted by the poets, that he raised 
the walls of Troy by the music of his harp ; 
and that a stone upon which he laid his lyre, 
became so melodious, that whenever it was 
stricken, it sounded like that instrument. 
Having unfortunately killed a very beautiful 
boy, called Hyacynthus, by the blow of a 
quoit, he caused to spring up from his blood ? 
the flower called after his name. 

Apollo was challenged to a musical contest 
by a satyr named Marsyas. He flayed him 
alive for his presumption, and afterwards 
metamorphosed him into a river in Phrygia, 
called, after him, Marsyas; 

Midas, king of Phrygia, having determined 
the victory in favour of the god Pan, who 
also contended with Apollo for the prize of 
music, Apollo stretched his ears to the length 
©nd shape of asses' ears, Midas's barber 



APOLLO. 



SB 



necessarily discovering the secret, was bribed 
by him not to publish it ; but being unabla 
to retain so great a prodigy, he digged a hole 
in the earth, and whispering into it this sen- 
tence, " Midas has the ears of an ass," filled 
it again. The reeds which grew out from 
the spot, when moved by the wind, uttered 
the fatal secret, " Midas has the ears of an 
ass." A number of other stories, equally 
ridiculous, are told of Apollo. 

In what manner was the Priestess of 
Apollo represented as uttering the oracles of 
the god ? 

She was, with great apparent reluctance 5 
placed by the priests upon the sacred tripod, 
a kind of three legged stool. A fit of phrenzy 
then seemed to seize her. She was violently 
convulsed, her hair stood erect, her mouth 
foamed, and whirling rapidly round, she 
appeared to pronounce involuntarily, fre- 
quently in verse, disjointed sentences, which 
contained the oracle. This was a contrivance 
of the priests; either by intoxicating the 
woman, by raising her emotions to a high 
degree of enthusiasm, or, as it was asserted, 
by placing her so as to inhale a mephitis 
e 2 



40 



APOLLO. 



vapour, which issued from a cavern under 



Phoebus, himself, the rushing battle led; 
A veil of clouds involv'd his radiant head : 
High, held before him, Jove's enormous shield 
Portentous shone, and shaded all the field, 
Vulcan to Jove th' immortal gift consign'd, 
To scatter hosts and terrify mankind. 
As long as Phoebus bears unmov'd the shield, 
Sits doubtful conquest hovering o'er the field ; 
."But when, aloft, he shakes it in the skies, 
Shouts in their ears, and lightens in their eyes, 
'Deep horror seizes ev'ry Grecian breast, 
Their force is humbled, and their fear confest. 



APOLLO INFLICTING A. PESTILENCE UPON 
THE GREEKS. 

Apollo heard. The favouring power attends, 
And from Olympus' lofty tops descends. 
Bent was his bow, the Grecian hearts to wound, 
Fierce as he mov'd his silver shafts resound. 
Breathing revenge, a sudden night he spread, 
And gloomy darkness roll'd around his head. 
The fleet in view, he twang'd his deadly bow ; 
And hissing fly the feather'd fates below. 
On mules and dogs, the infection first began ; 
And last the vengeful arrows fixed on man. 

Pope's Homer's Iliad. 




PIKEBUS. 



Pope's Homer's Iliad. 



THE MUSES. 



41 



CHAP. X. 

THE MUSES. 

Who were the Muses ? 

Daughters of Jupiter and Mnemosyne, or 
memory ; mistresses of the sciences, patron- 
esses of poetry and music, companions of 
Apollo, directresses of the feasts of the gods. 

How are they represented ? 

As nine beautiful virgins, sometimes danc- 
ing in a ring, around Apollo, sometimes play- 
ing on various musical instruments, or engaged 
in scientific pursuits. They are called Muses, 
from a Greek word, signifying to meditate, 
to inquire. 

What are the proper names of the 
Muses ? 

They had, each, a name derived from some 
particular accomplishment of mind, or branch 
of science. 

The first of the Muses, Clio, derived her 
name from the Greek word, signifying glory, 
renown. She presided over history. She 
was supposed to have invented the lyre, 
which she is frequently depicted as holding 
e 3 



-12 



THE MUSES. 



in her hand, together with the plectrum, the 
instrument with which the ancients struck 
their harp or lyre. 

Thalia presided over comedy. Her name 
signifies, the blooming. She is represented 
reclining on a pillar, holding in her hand a 
mask. 

Melpomene presided over tragedy. She is 
generally seen with her hand resting upon the 
club of Hercules ; because the object of tra- 
gedy was to represent the brilliant actions, 
and the misfortunes of heroes. 

Euterpe was the patroness of instrumental 
music. Her name signifies the agreeable. 
She is always depicted as surrounded with 
various instruments of music. 

Terpsichore, or the amusing, presided over 
the dance. She has always a smiling counte- 
nance; and one foot lightly touching the 
earth, while the other sports in air. 

Erato. Her name is derived from the Greek 
word signifying love. She is the inspii er or 
light poetry : and of the triumphs and com* 
plaints of lovers. 

Polyhymnia, as her name signifies, presides 
over miscellaneous poetry, and the ode. 



THE MUSES. 



43 



Urania, or the heavenly, was esteemed the 
inventress of astronomy. In her hand she 
holds a globe, which sometimes appears placed 
on a tripod, and then she grasps a scale, or a 
pair of compasses. 

Calliope owes her name to the majesty of 
Jier voice. She presided over rhetoric and 
epic poetry. 

Had the Muses any other names ? 

They had names common to them all. He- 
liconides, from Mount Helicon in Bceotia. 
Parnassides, from the mountain Parnassus 
in Phocis. Citherides, from mount Citheroa 
Aonides, from the country Aonia. Pierides, 
from Pieria in Thrace. Pegasides and Hip- 
pocrenides, from the famous fountain Hippo- 
crene, formed by a kick of the winged horse 
Pegasus. Aganippides, from the fountain 
Aganippe, and Castalides from another 
fountain, at the foot of Parnassus, called 
Castalius. 

The Muses are frequently represented sur- 
rounding Apollo, on Mount Parnassus or 
Helicon ; while Pegasus, with extended 
wingSj springs forwards into the air, and at 
ius foot gushes forth the fountain Hippocrene. 



44 



THE MUSES. 



CHAP. XL 

DIANA. 

Who was Diana? 

The sister of Apollo, daughter of Jupiter 
and Latona. 

What were her names ? 

The Egyptians called her Isis. Among 
the Greeks, Diana or Phebe was honoured 
under three different characters, and was 
therefore called the triform Goddess* As a 
telestial divinity she was Luna, the Moon ; 
as a terrestrial Goddess, Diana, or Dictynna ; 
itnd in the infernal regions, Hecate. 

What were her offices? 

She was the goddess of chastity, of the 
chace, and of woods. In heaven, she was 
supposed to enlighten by her rays on earth, 
to restrain the wild animals by her bow and 
dart; and in the realms below, to keep in 
awe the shadowy multitudes of ghosts. 

How was she represented ? 

Under the figure of a very tall and beau- 
tiful young virgin, in a hunting dress ; a bow 
in her hand, a quiver of arrows suspended 



TEMPLES OF DIANA. 



45 



across her shoulders, and her forehead orna- 
mented with a silver crescent. Sometimes 
she appears in a chariot of silver, drawn by 
hinds. 

Where were situated her most celebrated 
temples ? 

She had two temples famous in history. 
The first, was that of Ephesus, one of the 
seven wonders of the world. This was burnt 
to the ground the very day on which Alex- 
ander the Great was born. A man, named 
Erostratus, wishing to make his name immor- 
tal, set fire to this magnificent temple ; ima- 
gining that such an action would necessarily 
transmit his name to posterity. 

It was this temple which is mentioned in 
the Acts of the Apostles, by selling silver 
models of which, the silversmiths of Ephesus 
made great profit ; which, being in danger of 
losing by the introduction of Christianity, 
they excited a furious tumult against its first 
preachers. 

The second temple of celebrity, was in 
Taurica Chersonesus. This was infamous 
for human victims being therein sacrificed to 
Diana. All strangers, whether landing ihere $ 



46 



TEMPLES OF DIANA. 



by choice, or driven by storms, were cruelly 
immolated. 

Orestes and Pylades, so celebrated for their 
extraordinary friendship, killed the high priest 
Thoas, and brought the statue of the goddess 
into Italy. 

What is the history of this goddess ? 

It is full of absurdities not worth noticing. 
In her, is allegorised the moon, and by the 
silver chariot, its mild reflected light. 



CHAP. XIL 

BACCHUS. 

Who was Bacchus ? 

The son of Jupiter and Semele ; god of 
wine. 

How was he represented? 

Sometimes, as an aged man with a vener- 
able beard ; sometimes, as a young man with 
horns, a red face, a body bloated, and puffed 
up; but more frequently, as most beautiful 
and effeminate, having long flowing hair. 
He rides in a chariot drawn by tigers and 
lions, or lynxes and panthers ; his head is 



JPui^iy Xonqman t Ct ' Fcctertwster Jfow. 



BACCHUS, 



47 



crowned with ivy or vine leaves, and in his 
hand is a thyrsus or javelin, entwined with 
branches of the same plants, and a cantharus 
or ancient cup. 

What were the various names by which he 
was distinguished ? 

Bacchus, from a Greek word, signifying to 
revel. 

Biformis, because he was accounted both 
bearded and beardless ; or, because wine 
renders some cheerful and gay, and others 
morose and dull. 

Dionysius, from his father Jupiter ; or, 
from the nymphs called Nysae, by whom he 
was nursed. 

Brisaeus, from the use of grapes and ho- 
ney. 

Nictilius, because his feasts were celebrated 
in the night by torch light. 

Euvyhe, an expression signifying Well 
done, son ! which his father Jove frequently 
addressed to him during the war of the Giants 
and the Gods. 

What were the actions of Bacchus ? 

He taught the art of cultivating the vine 9 
of making wine ; of preparing honey for use. 



48 



BACCHUS, 



He invented commerce and navigation. Ha 
brought men from a savage to a civilized 
state. He subdued India, Phrygia, Egypt, 
Syria, and all the East. He is said, by the 
poets of antiquity, to have performed a number 
of strange absurdities ; such as bestowing on 
Midas, king of Phrygia, to whom Apollo 
presented the pair of ass's ears, the fatal 
gift of turning every thing he touched into 
gold. 

In consequence of this, Midas being almost 
starved to death, entreated the God to de- 
prive him of the dangerous influence. This 
was effected by his washing in the river Pao* 
tolus, which, ever after, retained the reput- 
ation of possessing golden streams and golden 
sands. 

What were the sacrifices of this divinity ? 

The fir, the ivy, the fig, the vine, were 
consecrated to Bacchus. The goat was slain 
in his sacrifices, because peculiarly destructive 
to vines ; and the Egyptians immolated swine 
to his honour. 

What were the feasts of Bacchus ? 

The various festivals of the God of wine 
were celebrated, as may well be supposed, 



BACCHUS* 



49 



with riot and excess. His priestesses, called 
Bacchantes, Bassarides, Thyades, and Me- 
nades, ran wild upon the mountains dis- 
guised in tiger skins, with disheveled hair 
and torches, or thyrsi, in their hands. No- 
thing could be more absurd, impious, and 
licentious, than these horrid festivals, which 
were named Bacchanalia, Dionysia, Triterica^ 
and Orgia ; whence riotous meetings are fre- 
quently called orgies. 

BACCHUS. 
Bacchus, on thee we call, in hymns divine, 
And hang thy statues on the lofty pine. 
Hence, plenty ev'ry laughing vineyard fills, 
Through the deep valleys and the sloping hills, 
"Where'er the God inclines his lovely face, 
More luscious fruits the rich plantations grace, 
Then let us Bacchus' praises duly sing, 
And consecrated cakes and chargers bring ; 
Dragg'd by their horns, let victim goats expire ; 
And roast on hazel spits before the sacred fire. 
Come, sacred Sire, with luscious clusters crown'd, 
Let all the riches of thy reign abound ; 
Each field replete, with blushing autumn, glow, 
And in deep tides, by thee, the foaming vintage flow. 

Pitt's Virgil, 

What appears to be the true history of 
Bacchus ? 

F 



50 



BACCHUS. 



The best historians, Herodotus, Plutarch, 
and Diodorus Siculus, assert that he was 
born in Egypt, and educated at Nysa, a city 
in Arabia Felix, whither he had been sent 
by his father. Jupiter Amnion. From them 
it appears, that the Bacchus of the Greeks 
was no other than the famous Osiris, con- 
queror of India. This Bacchus is supposed, 
by many learned men, to be Moses. Both are 
represented as born in Egypt, and exposed 
in their infancy upon the Nile. Bacchus 
was educated at Nissa or Nysa, in Arabia, 
and in the same country Moses passed forty 
years. Bacchus, when persecuted, retired to 
the borders of the Red Sea ; and Moses fled 
with the Israelites, from the Egyptian bond- 
age, beyond the same sea. The numerous 
army of Bacchus, composed of men and 
women, passed through Arabia in their jour- 
ney to India. The army of the Jewish legis- 
lator, composed of men, women, and children, 
was obliged to wander in the desert, long 
before they arrived in Palestine, which, as 
well as India, is part of the continent of 
Asia. The fable represents Bacchus with 
horns, which may be supposed to allude to 



BACCHUS. 



the light that is said to have shone around 
the countenance of Moses, who, in old 
engravings, is frequently represented with 
horns. Moses received the Jewish law on 
Mount Sinai. Bacchus was brought up on 
Mount Nysa. Bacchus, armed with his 
thyrsus, defeated the giants. The miraculous 
rod of Moses was the means of destroying 
the descendants of the giants. Jupiter was 
said to have sent Bacchus into India to exter- 
minate a sinful nation; and it is recorded, 
that Moses was commanded, by the true 
God, to do the same in Palestine. The god 
Pan gave Bacchus a dog to accompany him 
in his travels; Caleb, which, in Hebrew, 
signifies a dog, was the name of the faithful 
companion of Moses. Bacchus, by striking 
the earth with his thyrsus, produced rivers 
of wine. Moses, by striking the rock with 
his miraculous rod, caused water to gush out 
to satisfy the raging thirst of the Israelites. 
Others have regarded Bacchus as being the 
same with Nimrod, the first ambitious con- 
queror, and enslaver of men; that mighty 
hunter before the Lord. 



52 



MINERVA. 



CHAP. XIIL 

MINERVA. 

Who was Minerva? 

The goddess of wisdom and deliberate 
courage, and the patroness of the arts. 

What was the poetical fiction concerning 
her birth ? 

Jupiter being tormented with an excessive 
pain in his head, applied to Vulcan to open 
it with a keen axe ; and upon his doing so, 
Minerva instantly sprang forth, a goddess 
armed. 

How was this Deity represented? 

As a beautiful woman of threatening 
aspect, armed with a golden helmet and 
breast-plate ; in her right hand, brandishing 
a beaming lance; in her left, bearing the 
buckler, called Egis, from being covered with 
the skin of the Goat Amalthea, by whose 
milk Jupiter was nourished; having, as a 
boss, the terrific head of the Gorgon Medusa, 
encircled by snakes instead of hair, which 
turned into stone all who beheld it. A cock, 
the emblem of valour, stood on one side of 




y Fatenwster _Rov/. 



MINERVA, 



53 



her ; and on the other, the owl, the emblem 
of meditation. A crown of olive was entwined 
around her helmet, because she taught the 
use of that fruit. 

What other names were given her, besides 
that of Minerva? 

She was called Athena, from being the 
tutelary goddess of Athens ; Pallas, from the 
Greek word, signifying the brandishing a 
javelin; Parthenos, or the Virgin; Tritonia, 
from the lake Triton : Ergatis, the Work- 
woman, from her having invented various 
arts, especially weaving and spinning ; Giau- 
kopis, or Blue-eyed. 

Where was she principally worshiped ? 

At Athens ; where a most magnificent 
temple was erected in honour of her, which 
was adorned with her famous statue, made 
of gold and ivory, by the celebrated Phidias. 
This temple, the ruins of which still remain 
to charm the eye of taste, w r as called the Par- 
thenon, from her name of Parthenos. There, 
likewise, the annual festival, called Pana- 
thena, was instituted for the same purpose. 

How came the city of Athens to be so 
named after this Goddess ? 

r 3 



54 



MINERVA. 



The fable relates, that Minerva and Nep- 
tune disputing with each other the honour of 
giving a name to that city, the gods decided 
that whichsoever produced the most useful 
gift, should have that privilege. Neptune 
striking the ground with his trident, a fiery 
and beautiful horse sprang forth. Minerva 
produced an olive-tree in full bloom. The 
deities determined in favour of the latter, 
who consequently gave her own name to the 
city. 

Of what is this goddess emblematical ? 

Of wisdom, prudence, conquest over vice 
and the passions. 

What was the Palladium ? 

An image of Pallas, which was supposed, 
to have fallen from the skies. This was pre- 
served, with great vigilance, in the citadel of 
Troy, because an Oracle had declared, that, 
as long as it remained there, the city would 
be invincible against all the attacks of its 
enemies. 

Diomed and Ulysses, two of the illustrious 
Grecian Heroes, contrived to convey the 
Palladium away by a bold stratagem, and 
Troy was taken. Eneas the valiant son of 



MINERVA* 



55 



Venus, and the great ancestor of the Romans, 
is said, by some of their writers, to have 
recovered and brought it with him into Italy* 
They assert that this celebrated image was 
deposited in the temple of Vesta, as a pledge 
of the stability of the empire and dominion 
of Rome. Hence, the word Palladium is 
sometimes used figuratively, to signify the 
preservation or safeguard of any valuable 
object. As, for example, the palladium o r 
British liberty. 

MINERVA, ARMING. 

PaUas disrobes, her radiant veil untied, 
I With flowers adorn' d, with art diversified ; 
The labour'd veil her heavenly fingers wove 
Plows on the pavement of the court of Jove. 
Now heav'n's dread arms her mighty limbs invest, 
Jove's cuirass blazes on her ample breast ; 
Deck'd in sad triumph for the mournful field, 
O'er her broad shoulders hangs his horrid shield, 
Dire, black, tremendous ! Round the margin roll'd, 
A fringe of serpents, hissing, guards the gold : 
Here all the terrors of grim war appear, 
Here rages Force, here tremble Flight and Fear, 
Here storm'd Contention, and here Fury frown'd, 
And the dire orb portentous Gorgon crown'd. 
The massy golden helm she next assumes, 
That dreadful nods with four o'ershading plumes ; 



56 



MINERVA, 



So vast, the broad circumference contains 
A hundred armies on a hundred plains. 
The Goddess thus th' imperial car ascends ; 
Shook by her arm the mighty jav'lin bends, 
Ponderous and huge, that when her fury burns, 
Proud tyrants humbles, and whole hosts o'erturns. 
Swift at the scourge th' ethereal coursers fly, 
While the smooth chariot cuts the liquid sky. 
Heav'n's gates spontaneous open to the pow'rs, 
Heav'n's golden gates, kept by the winged Hours, 
Commission'd in alternate watch they stand, 
The sun's bright portals and the skies command, 
Involve in clouds th' eternal gates of day, 
Or the dark barrier roll with ease away. 
The sounding hinges ring : on either side 
The gloomy volumes, pierc'd with light, divide. 

Pope's Homer's Iliad. 



CHAP. XIV. 

MARS, BELLONA, VICTORY, 

Who was Mars ? 

The son of Jupiter and Juno, the fierce, 
inexorable God of war and carnage. 

How was he depicted ? 

As a formidable armed warrior, breathing 
death and destruction. He rides in a chariot 
drawn by horses, which are driven by a dis- 



r 

i 

I 



MARS. 



57 



tracted woman. Discord flies before them 
in tattered garments. 

Clamour and Anger, Fear and Terror, 
attend his progress. The dog, for his vigil- 
ance in pursuit of prey; the wolf, for his 
fierceness ; the raven, because he follows 
embattled armies to feast upon the slain ; the 
cock, for his wakefulness, whereby he pre- 
vents surprise ; are consecrated to the furious 
God of battle. 

What were his titles ? 

Mars ; Ares, or injury, calamity ; " from 
which name, the hill at Athens, which was 
the assembling place of that court of judi- 
cature so renowned for its justice, was called 
Areopagus; Gradivus, in peace; Quirinus, 
in war ; Silvester, when invoked to protect 
cultivated lands from the ravages of war ; and 
Corythaix, or Shaker of the Helmet. 

Where were his temples, and what were 
his priests called ? 

He had several temples at Rome, and 
among the Greeks and other warlike nations. 
His priests, at Rome, were called Salii, and 
had the care of the Ancilia, or sacred shields. 

What was the origin of these Ancilia ? 



58 



MARS, 



A shield being found, of a form, till then, 
unknown, was supposed to have fallen from 
heaven. The oracle was consulted, and 
declared that the empire of the world was 
destined for that city which should preserve 
this shield. 

Numa Pompilius, second king of Rome, 
in order to secure it from being lost, caused 
several shields to be made, so exactly like it, 
that it was almost impossible to distinguish 
the original. Their form was oval. Their 
number was twelve ; as was that of the priests 
at first, though afterwards increased to 
twenty-four. 

Who is Mars supposed to represent in 
real history ? 

There were many princes of this name, and 
almost every nation had its own Mars. The 
original Mars is supposed to be Belus, 

Who was Bellona? 

She was the sister of Mars, the goddess of 
war and cruelty, called by the Greeks Enyo. 
She is described as preparing the chariot and 
horses of Mars for battle, and with disheveled 
hair driving them. She had a temple at 
Rome, and her priests offered to her, as a 



VICTORY, 



59 



sacrifice, blood which flowed from wounds 
they inflicted upon themselves. 
Who was Victory ? 

The daughter of Styx and Acheron. She 
had several temples in Greece and Rome, 
Games were instituted to her honour. She 
was represented as flying in air, holding a 
crown, a branch of palm, a globe ; and some- 
times she was depicted as an eagle. 

MARS AND MINERVA IN BATTLE AND 
DISCORD. 

Loud clamours rose from various nations rounds 
Mix'd was the murmur and confused the sound. 
Each host now joins, and each a God inspires. 
These Mars incites, and chose Minerva fires. 
Pale flight around, and dreadful terror reign, 
And Discord, raging, bathes the purple plain. 
Discord, dire sister of the slaughtering power, 
Small at her birth, but rising every hour, 
While scarce the skies her horrid head can bound, 
She stalks on earth and shakes the world around. 
The nations bleed where'er her steps she turns, 
The groan still deepens, and the combat burns. 

Pope's Homer's Iliad, 

MARS WOUNDED. 

Now rushing fierce, in equal arms appear, 
The daring Greek ; the dreadful God of war, 



60 



VICTORY. 



Full at the chief, above his courser's head, 
From Mars' arm th' enormous weapon fled : 
Pallas oppos'd her hand, and caus'd to glance, 
Far from the car, the strong immortal lance. 
Then threw the force of Tydeus' warlike son ; 
The javelin hiss'd ; the Goddess urg'd it on : 
Where the broad cincture girt his armour round, 
It pierc'd the God : his groin receiv'd the wound. 
From the rent skin the warrior tugs again 
The smoking steel. Mars bellows with the pain ; 
Loud as the roar encount'ring armies yield, 
When shouting myriads shake the thund'ring field. 
Both armies start, and trembling gaze around, 
And earth and heav'n re-echo to the sound. 
As vapours blown by Auster's sultry breath, 
Pregnant with plagues^ and shedding seeds of death, 
Beneath the rage of burning Sirius rise, 
Choke the parch' d earth and blacken all the skies ; 
In such a cloud the God from combat driv'n 
High o'er the dusty whirlwind scales the heav'n. 

Pope's Homer's Iliad, 



CHAP. XV. 

VENUS. 

How was Venus, the goddess of love and 
beauty, produced ? 

She is represented by the poets as springing 
from the froth of the sea. A sea-shell glid- 



VENUS. 



61 



ing smoothly on the surface of the waves, is 
wafted by the gentle zephyrs to the foot of 
Mount Cythera. Here the goddess lands, 
and as she walks, flowers bloom beneath her 
feet. The rosy Hours, who were entrusted 
with her education, receive and conduct her 
to heaven. 

What were her various names ? 

By the Eastern nations she was called 
Urania and Astarte. By the Greeks, the 
Romans, and others, Cythera, from the island 
to which she was first wafted in the sea-shell. 
Cypria, from Cyprus. Erycina, from mount 
Eryx, in Sicily. Idalia, from mount Idalus, 
in Cyprus. Acidalia, from a fountain of that 
name in Bceotia. Marina and Aphrodita, as 
produced from the foam of the sea; and 
Paphia, from Paphos. She had likewise the 
appellations of Mother ; the Victorious ; the 
Laughter-loving Goddess. 

How is Venus generally depicted ? 

She is frequently represented borne in a 
spacious shell, sporting on the waves of the 
ocean ; Cupids, Nereids, Dolphins, surround 
her. When she traverses the heavens, her 
chariot is drawn by doves and swans, accom- 

G 



62 



VENUS. 



panied by Cupid and the Graces. She is 
clothed in a light and airy manner, and 
wears round her waist the famous Cestus of 
love, a mysterious girdle, supposed to excite 
irresistible affection. 

Where were her principal temples, and 
what was her worship ? 

Temples were erected to her honour almost 
every where; but the most beautiful were 
those of Paphos, Gnidus, Amathus, Cythera, 
and Idalia. Cyprus was supposed to be her 
favourite residence. Her worship was various. 
In some places, only incense was consumed 
upon her altars ; in others, a white goat was 
sacrificed. Women used frequently to con- 
secrate their hair to this Goddess. The dove 
and the swan, the rose and the myrtle, were 
considered as sacred to her. 

VENUS. 

She said, and turning round, her neck she shew'd 9 

That with celestial charms divinely glow'd, 

Her waving locks immortal odours shed, 

And breath'd ambrosial scents around her head. 

Her sweeping robe trail'd pompous as she trod 5 

And her majestic port confess' d the God. 

To the soft Cyprian shores the Goddess m&Tt&» 

To visit Paphos and her blooming grow*, j 



VENUS. 



63 



Where to her pow'r a hundred altars rise, 
And breathing odours scent the balmy skies. 
Conceal'd, she bathes in consecrated bow'rs, 
The Graces unguents shed, ambrosial show'rs, 
Unguents which charm the Gods : She, last, assumes 
Her splendid robes ; and full the Goddess blooms. 

Pitt's Virgil, and Pope's Homer's Odyssey. 

VENUS WOUNDED. 
Meanwhile (his conquest ravish'd from his eyes) 
The raging chief in chase of Venus flies : 
No Goddess she, commissioned to the field. 
Like Pallas, dreadful with her sable shield ; 
Ov fierce Bellona thundering at the wall, 
Wliile flames ascend, and mighty ruins fall. 
Through breaking ranks his furious course he bends, 
And at the Goddess his broad lance extends. 
Through her bright veil the daring weapon drove, 
The ambrosial veil, which all the Graces wove : 
Her snowy hand the razing steel profan'd, 
And the transparent skin with crimson stain'd. 
From the clear vein a stream immortal flow'd, 
Such stream as issues from a wounded God ; 
Pure emanation ! uncorrupted flood : 
Unlike our gross, diseas'd terrestrial blood. 

Pope's Homer's Iliad. 

Who was Cupid ? 

An allegorical representation, or emblem, 
of the passion of love. He was generally 
painted as a beautiful winged boy, with a bow 
and arrows, and very often with a bandage 
over his eyes. Ancient statues and intaglios 
G 2 



64 



CUPID. 



sometimes represent him bestriding the back 
of a lion, and playing on a lyre ; whilst the 
fierce savage turning his head, seems to listen 
to its harmonious chords. 

Sometimes he appears mounted on a dol- 
phin ; and sometimes he is represented as 
breaking the winged thunderbolt of Jove. 
He was the son of Venus; his wife was 
Psyche; a Greek word, signifying Spirit, or 
Soul. 

Who were the Graces ? 

They were supposed to give its attractive 
charms to beauty of every kind, and to dis- 
pense the gift of pleasing. They were sup- 
posed by some, to be the daughters of Jupiter 
and Juno ; by others, of Jupiter and Eury- 
nome; but the most general opinion was, 
that they were daughters of Venus and Bac- 
chus : they were represented sometimes as 
being three, and sometimes four, in number ; 
named Aglaia, Thalia, Euphrosyne, Pasi- 
thea. They were painted as beautiful young 
virgins, crowned with flowers, ears of corn, 
grapes, and olive branches ; lightly drest in 
gauze robes, and in elegant attitudes. 

The towns of Perinthe, Byzantium, Delphi, 



THE GRACES. 



65 



and many others in Greece and Thrace, 
raised temples to their honour. They pre- 
sided also over friendship and gratitude; and 
were worshiped as Dure and innocent. 



CHAP. XVI. 

VULCAN. 

Who was Vulcan ? 

It appears that there were three of the 
name of Vulcan. The first was Tubalcain, 
mentioned by Moses as the inventor of forg- 
ing metals. The second was one of the 
Egyptian kings, or rather, their first divinity. 
The third, the Grecian Vulcan, was a Titan 
prince, son of Jupiter, obliged, by disgrace, 
to take refuge in the Isle of Lemnos, where 
he established the art of working iron and 
brass. 

What was his poetical history ? 

He was said by the poets to be the son of 
Jupiter and Juno. For having made the 
formidable thunderbolts, which Jupiter hurled 
at the giants attempting to scale the celestial 

G 3 



66 



VULCAN. 



region, Venus was bestowed upon him as a 
wife. Afterwards, misbehaving himself, Ju- 
piter, with one kick of his foot, precipitated 
him from heaven. He fell upon the island 
of Lemnos, and was crippled by his fall. In 
the caves of that isle, and in the immense 
subterraneans of Mount Etna, he was sup- 
posed to follow his profession, assisted by the 
Cyclops, Giants with only one eye, and that 
in the middle of their foreheads. 

VULCAN. 

— Meanwhile the silver-footed dame 

"Reach'd the Vulcanian dome, eternal frame] 
High eminent amid the works divine, 
Where Heav'n's far-beaming brazen mansions shine. 
There, the lame architect, the Goddess found, 
Obscure in smoke, his forges flaming round, 
While, bathed in sweat, from fire to fire he flew ; 
And puffing loud, the roaring bellows blew. 
Then from his anvil the lame artist rose ; 
Wide with distorted legs oblique he goes, 
And stills the bellows, and (in order laid) 
Locks in their chests his instruments of trade. 
Then with a sponge the sooty workman drest 
His brawny arms imbrown'd, and hairy breast. 
With his huge sceptre grac'd, and red attire, 
Came halting forth the sov'reign of the fire : 
The monarch's steps two female forms uphold. 
That mov'd, and breath' d. in animated gold ; 



VULCAN. 



67 



To whom were voice, and sense, and science giv'n 
Of works divine (such wonders are in heav'n !) 

Pope's Homer's Iliad. 

What eminent works were ascribed to 
him ? 

He was the God of fire ; the inventor and 
patron of the art of fabricating arms and 
utensils from metals. The famous palace of 
the Sun, the armour of Achilles and Eneas ; 
the elegant necklace of Hermione ; the beau- 
tiful crown of Ariadne; an animated brazen 
dog, and a woman of the same metal, who 
was likewise endowed with life by the fire 
which Prometheus stole from the chariot of 
the sun ; these, all, were works of his art. 

What were his various names ? 

Besides Vulcan, he was called Lemmus, 
Mulciber, and Tardipes. 

Where were the principal temples and fes- 
tivals of Vulcan ? 

At Athens and Rome, festivals were kept 
to his honour. Upon Mount Etna, a temple 
was dedicated to him, which was guarded 
by dogs, whose sense of smelling was said to 
be so exquisite, as to enable them to discern 
whether those who came thither were virtu- 



68 



VULCAN. 



ous of vicious, and who fawned upon, or 
drove them away accordingly. The Romans 
in their most solemn treaties, invoked Vul- 
can the avenger ; and the assemblies in which 
they discussed the most important affair*, 
were held in the temple of Vulcan. At 
Memphis, in Egypt, also, was a most magni- 
ficent edifice raised in honour of this God, 
before which stood a colossal statue seventy 
feet high. 

What children had he ? 

Erictheus, fourth king of Athens, was his 
son, as were likewise Cacus, a horrid monster 
of cruelty, killed by Hercules, and Cceculus, 
a fierce and violent robber. 

Who were the Cyclops ? 

They were the workmen of Vulcan, and 
made Jove's thunderbolts. By some, they 
are said to be sons of Neptune, by others, of 
Ccelus and Terra. The chief of them were 
Brontes, Steropes, and Pyracmon. 

THE CYCLOPS. 

Amid th* Hesperian and Sicilian flood, ) 
All black with smoke, a rocky island stood? > 
The dark Vulcanian land the region of the Cod. ) 



J x ub?'~by L ongrnarb & C? Pabernosterliow. 



VULCAN. 



69 



Here the grim Cyclops ply, in vaults profound, 

The huge iEolian forge that thunders round. 

Th' eternal anvils ring, the dungeon o'er ; 

From side to side the fiery caverns roar. 

Loud groans the mass beneath their ponderous blows, 

Fierce burns the flame, and the full furnace glows. 

To this dark region, from the bright abode, 

With speed impetuous, flew the fiery God. 

Eh' alternate blows the brawny brethren deal ; 

■Thick burst the sparkles from the tortur'd steel. 

Huge strokes, rough Steropes and Brontes gave, 

And strong Pyracmon shook the gloomy cave. 

Before their sovereign came, the Cyclops strove 

With eager speed, to forge a bolt for Jove, 

Such as by heaven's almighty lord are hurl'd, 

All charg'd with vengeance, on a guilty world. 

Beneath their hands, tremendous to survey ! 

Half rough, half form'd, the dreadful engine lay : 

Three points of rain, three forks of hail conspire, 

Three arm'd with wind ; and three were barb'd with fire. 

The mass they temper'd thick with livid rays, 

Fear, Wrath, and Terror, and the lightning's blaze. 

Pitt's Virgil. 



CHAP. XVII. 

MERCURY. 



Who was Mercury ? 

There were two of that name ; the Egyp* 



70 



MERCURY. 



tian, and the Grecian Mercury. The most 
ancient of them, was the Thaut or Thot of 
the Egyptians, contemporary with Osiris. 
W e meet with scarcely any personage in the 
ancient world more celebrated for great 
knowledge and admirable talents. To him 
the Egyptians were indebted for the flourish- 
ing state of their arts and commerce. He 
taught them geometry, and hieroglyphical 
characters. 

He reformed their language; invented 
letters ; regulated the harmony of their style ; 
instructed them in astronomy ; invented the 
lyre : and from his being the first who paid 
particular attention to eloquence, had the 
name of Hermes given to him, He is said 
to have left forty-two volumes of his works. 
These famous books have long been lost, and 
all that is known of them, is, that the first 
thirty-six contained the whole of the Egyp- 
tian philosophy, and the other six treated of 
medicine, surgery, and anatomy. 

Who was the Grecian Mercury ? 

The son of Jupiter and Maia ; the God of 
eloquence, of arts and sciences, and the mes- 
senger of Jupiter. He was the inventor of 



MERCURY. 



71 



weights and measures, and conducted depart- 
ing spirits to the infernal regions. 

What were his names ? 

Mercury, from Mercatura, Commerce ; 
Hermes, as the inventor of eloquence ; Cyl- 
lenius, from Mount Cyllene, where he was 
born. Nomius, from his inventing laws* 
Camiilus, from his office of minister to the 
Gods ; and Vialis, because he presided over 
the formation of roads. 

How was he depicted ? 

As a young man with a cheerful coun- 
tenance, and lively eyes; wings were fixed 
to his cap and to his sandals; and in his 
hand was the caduceus, a wand, round which 
were entwined two serpents. The Egyptians 
gave him a face partly dark, and partly 
bright ; to signify his being employed some- 
times in heaven and sometimes in the infernal 
regions. His statues were frequently placed 
in the high roads, to point out the way to 
travellers. 

MERCURY. 

- ■ The God who mounts the winged winds, 
Fast to his feet the golden pinions binds, 



72 



MERCURY. 



That high through fields of air his flight sustain, 
O'er the wide earth, and o'er the boundless main 
He grasps the wand that causes sleep to fly, 
Or in soft slumbers seals the wakeful eye ; 
Then shoots from heav'n to high Pieria's steep, 
And stoops incumbent on the rolling deep. 

Homer's Odyssey 

MERCURY AND ATLAS. 

Swift at the word, the duteous Son of May 
Prepares th' almighty's orders to obey ; 
First, round his feet the golden wings he bound, 
That speed his progress o'er the seas profound, 
And earth's unmeasur'd regions as he flies, 
Wrapt in a rapid whirlwind, down the skies. 
Then grasp 'd the wand ; the wand that calls the ghosts 
From hell, or drives 'em to the Stygian coasts, 
Invites, or chases, sleep with wond'rous pow'r, 
And opes those eyes that death had seal'd before. 
Thus arm'd, on wings of wind sublimely rode 
Thro' heaps of opening clouds the flying God. 
From far, huge Atlas' rocky sides he spies, 
Atlas, whose head supports the starry skies : 
Beat by the winds and driving rains, he shrouds 
His shady forehead in surrounding clouds ; 
With ice, his horrid beard is crusted o'er ; 
From his bleak brows, the gushing torrents pour * 
Out-spread, his mighty shoulders heave below 
The hoary piles of everlasting snow, 

Pitt's Virgil. 



— Pope, 




DIVINITIES OF THE WATERS. 73 

CHAP. XVIIL 

DIVINITIES OF THE SEA AND RIVERS. 

What were the divinities of the waters ? 

Each river and fountain had its peculiar 
Divinity. The Egyptians held the Sea in 
abhorrence, and reserved all their veneration 
for their famous river Nile. The Indians 
paid divine honours to the Ganges, which, to 
this day, is accounted sacred by the Hindoos. 
Oceanus and Nereus, personifications of the 
ocean; and their daughters, seventy-two 
Oceanides, and fifty Nereides; and three thou- 
sand aquatic nymphs, were regarded as 
Divinities . 

Who was Oceanus ? 

The son of Coelus and Terra. He was 
justly regarded as the principal marine Divi- 
nity, as he represents the vast collection of 
waters which gird the earth. From him 
sprang Nereus and Doris, and from them 
the various tribes of wate-r nymphs. Oceanus 
was represented as an old man sitting upon 
the waves, holding a pike, and near him a 
sea monster of indescribable form. 

H 



74 



NEPTUNE. 



Who was Neptune? 

The son of Saturn, brother of Jupiter, In 
the division of their father's kingdom, the 
empire of the seas fell to his share. He was 
worshiped as the god of the seas. Amphitrite 
was his wife. He was represented with black 
hair and blue eyes, standing erect in a 
chariot formed of a vast shell drawn by sea- 
horses; clothed in an azure mantle, and 
holding in his hand the trident which com- 
manded the waves. Around him played the 
sea nymphs, and the Tritons sounding their 
trumpet of shells. 

Were any other names given to this god ? 

Besides Neptune, the Greeks called him 
Poseidon ; and the Romans, Consus, the 
God of Counsel. These latter called the 
games which they celebrated to his honour 
Consualia, when the horses and mules were 
exempted from labour, and crowned with 
garlands of flowers. 

What were his offices ? 

He presided over the training of horses 5 
having produced that animal by stamping his 
foot upon the ground, when he contested 



Jhtb^by Lorurriiarb 2z CfTaJxrrJx>sterIiGW. 



NEPTUNE. 



with Minerva the honour of giving a name 
to the city of Athens. 

He was the ruler of the waters, the God 
of ships and of all maritime affairs, and his 
supreme command could raise the stormy 
waves, or calm the wildest fury of the tem- 
pest. 

THE GODS DESCENDING TO BATTLE. 

But when the Pow'rs, descending, swell the fight, 
Then tumult rises ; Rage and pale Affright, 
Vary each face ; then Discord sounds alarms ; 
Earth echoes, and the nations rush to arms. 
Now, through the trembling shores Minerva calls, 
And now, she thunders from the Grecian walls. 
Mars, hovering o'er his Troy, his terror shrouds 
In gloomy tempests, and a night of clouds. 
Now, through each Trojan heart he fury pours, 
With voice divine from I lion's topmost tow'rs ; 
Now, shouts to Simois from her beauteous hill ; 
The mountain shakes, the rapid stream stands still. 
Above, the Sire of Gods his thunder rolls, 
And peals on peals, redoubled, rend the poles. 
Beneath, stern Neptune shakes the solid ground ; 
The forests wave, the mountains nod around. 
Through all their summits, tremble Ida's woods ; 
And from their sources, boil their hundred floods. 
Troy's turrets totter on the rocking plain ; 
And the toss'd navies beat the heaving main. 
Deep in the dismal regions of the dead, 
Xh' infernal monarch rears his horrid head $ 
H 2 



NEPTUNE. 



Leaps from his throne, lest Neptune's arm should lay 
His dark dominions open to the day, 
And pour in light on Pluto's drear abodes, 
Abhorred by men and dreadful ev'n to Gods. 

Pope's Homer's Iliad. 

JUNO, NEPTUNE, AND PALLAS, OVER- 
THROWING TROY. 

Where yon rude piles of shattered ramparts rise, 

Stone rent from stone, in dreadful ruin lies, > 

And black with rolling smoke the dusty whirlwind flies ; 3 

There, Neptune's trident breaks the bulwarks down, 

There, from her basis heaves the trembling town ; 

Heav'n's awful queen, to urge the Trojan fate, 

Here, storms tremendous at the Seaman gate : 

Radiant in arms the furious goddess stands, 

And from the navy calls her Argive bands. 

On yon high tow'r, the martial maid behold, 

With her dread Gorgon, blaze in clouds of gold. 

And lo ! the Gods with dreadful faces frown 'd, 

And lower'd, majestically stern, around. 

Then, fell proud Ilion's bulwarks, tow'rs, and spires ; 

Then, Troy, though rais'd by Neptune, sunk in fires. 

Pitt's Virgil. 

Who were the children of Neptune ? 

The most remarkable of them were, Po- 
lyphemus, one of the Cyclops; a dreadfu. 
giant, who resided in Sicily, and devoured 
those human beings who were so unfortunate 



keptune's children. 



77 



ns to fall into his hands ; Phorcus, father of 
the terrible Gorgons ; Proteus, and Triton. 

BOLYPHEMUS. 

Scarce had he said ; when lo ! th' enormous swain, 

Huge Polyphemus, 'midst his fleecy train, 

A bulk prodigious ! from the mountain's brow, 

Descends terrific to the shore below : 

A monster grim, tremendous, vast and high ; 

His front deform'd, and quench'd his blazing eye ! 

His huge hand held a pine, tall, large, and strong, 

To guide his footsteps as he towers along. 

His flock attends, the only joy he knows ; 

H is pipe around his neck, the solace of his woes. 

Soon as the giant reach' d the deeper flood, 

With many a groan, he cleansed the gather'd blood 

From his bor'd eye-ball, in the briny main, 

And, bellowing, grinds his teeth in agonizing pain : 

Then, stalks enormous through the midmost tides, 

And scarce the topmost surges reach his sides. 

Pitt's VirgJL 



CHAP. XIX. 

. 

Who were the Tritons ? 

They were imaginary sea animals, the 
upper part of whose bodies was supposed to 
resemble that of man ; the lower part that of 
h 3 



78 



SIRENS. PROTEUS. 



the dolphin. The first of them was the son 
of Neptune and Amphitrite. This Triton, 
being the trumpeter of Neptune, terrified the 
giants in their war with the Gods, by the 
sound of his instrument. 

What were the Sirens ? 

They are represented as beautiful young 
females inhabiting the rocks on the coast of 
Sicily. The charms of their singing allured 
mariners to approach the dangerous shore, 
which proved their destruction. They were 
supposed to have uncommonly melodious 
voices, and to touch the lyre in a most 
enchanting manner. 

Who was Proteus ? 

A son of Neptune, who was entrusted with 
the care of his flocks, consisting of sea calves 
and other marine animals. He is represented 
by the poets, as possessing the faculty of 
changing himself into whatever forms he 
chose. Hence, a fickle person is frequently 
called a Proteus. History makes mention of 
a Proteus, king of Egypt, about the time of 
the Trojan war, who was illustrious for his 
secrecy, wisdom, -and foresight. 



PROTEUS. SEA-GODS. 



79 



PROTEUS. 

Now, thronging quick, to bask in open air, 

The flocks of ocean to the strand repair. 

Couch'd on the sunny sand, the monsters sleep ; "1 

Then Proteus mounting from the hoary deep, V 

Surveys his charge unknowing of deceit. J 

Pleas'd with the false review secure he lies, 

And leaden slumbers press his drooping eyes, 

Shouting we seize the God ; our force to evade, 

His various arts he summons to his aid. 

A lion now, he curls a surgy mane ; 

Sudden, our bands a spotted pard retain, 

Then arm'd with tusks, and lightning in his eyes, 

A boar's obscener shape the God belies. 

On spiry volumes, there, a dragon rides ; 

Here, from our strict embrace, a stream he glides. 

And, last, sublime his stately growth he rears 

A tree and well dissembled foliage wears. 

Pope's Homer's Odyssey. 

Who were Glaucus, Portumnus, Saron, 
Egeon, Ino, and Palemon? 

They were mortals changed into sea Gods, 
by some extraordinary influence. Egeon is 
spoken of, as a formidable giant, who issued 
from the sea, to assist the Titans against Ju- 
piter, but being vanquished by Neptune, was 
forced to take refuge in the deepest recesses 
of the ocean. 



80 



SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS. 



Who were Scylla and Charybdis ? 

The former was supposed to have been a 
most beautiful woman, who, having excited 
the jealousy of Neptune's wife Amphitrite, 
was changed by her into a dreadful sea mon- 
ster. She is represented as having six necks, 
and as many terrific heads : as rising sud- 
denly from the dark abyss of waters, and 
sweeping off, at one tremendous stoop, six 
men together, from the deck of any passing 
vessel. Charybdis was said to have been a 
formidable woman, who used to plunder tra- 
vellers, but was killed at last by Hercules. 
These were mere personifications of the dan- 
gerous rocks, and of the whirlpool between 
Reggio and Messina, on the coast of Sicily. 

SCYLLA AND CHARYBDIS. 

Now, through the rocks, appal I'd with deep dismay, 
We bend our course, and stem the desperate way : 
Dire Scylla, there, a scene of horror forms, 
And, here, Charybdis fdls the deep with storms. 
When the tide gushes from her rumbling caves, 
The rough rock roars ; tumultuous boil the waves; 
They toss, they foam, and wild confusion raise, 
Like waters bubbling o'er the fiery blaze. 
When in her gulfs the rushing sea subsides, 
She drains the ocean with refulgent tides ; 



HALCYONS. 



81 



The rock rebellows with a thund'ring sound, 
Deep, wond'rous deep below, appears the ground. 
Struck with despair, with trembling hearts we view'd 
The yawning dungeon and the tumbling flood ; 
When, lo, fierce Scylla stoop'd to seize her prey, 
Stretch'd her dire jaws and swept six men away, 
Chiefs of renown : loud echoing shrieks arise, 
I turn and view them, quiv'ring in the skies, 
They call us, and with outstretch 'd arms implore, 
In vain they call ; those arms are stretch'd no more. 
In the wide dungeon, she devours her food, 
And the flesh trembles, while she churns the blood. 

Pope's Homer's Odyssey. 

What were the Halcyons ? 

Sea birds, who were supposed to build 
their nests upon the waves, and to calm their 
violence by their presence. Halcyone, wife 
of Ceyx, king of Trachinia, seeing the corpse 
of her husband (who had been shipwrecked on 
his return from consulting the oracle of Delphi) 
driven on shore by the tide, threw herself 
into the sea. The Gods, pitying their un- 
happy fate, changed them into the birds called 
Halcyons, and imparted to them the power 
of stilling the waves. 

What were the names of the various tribes 
of Nymphs ? 

Those who presided over rivers and wa- 



82 



NYMPHS, 



ters, were named Naiades ; those who resided 
in marshes, Lymniades. The wood nymphs 
were called Dryades and Hamadryades. 
The nymphs of the mountains, Oreades. 
Milk, honey, oil, and sometimes goats, were 
sacrificed to their honour. 



CHAP- XX. 

Who was Eoius? 

A son of Jupiter 3 , God of the winds and 
tempests; which he was supposed to retain 
in a vast cave, or to set at liberty, at his own 
will, or at the command of his father. 

Who were his children ? 

Boreas, the north wind; Auster, the 
south \ Eurus, the east j and Zephyrus, the 
west wind. 

What was the true history of Eolus ? 

He lived in the time of the Trojan war, 
and reigned over the Eolian islands, called, 
before, the Vulcanian. Eolus possessing 
penetration and foresight superior to his con- 
temporaries, by frequently foretelling the ap- 
proach of storms, seemed to them to be 



EOLUS. 



83 



something more than mortal. By attentively 
observing the direction in which the smoke 
of volcanoes was driven by the winds, he 
learnt to distinguish those which blew most 
violently, and were of longest duration. 

His descendants sent colonies into Asia 
Minor, and afterwards passed over into 
Italy. 

EOLUS, 

Thus fir'd with rage and vengeance, now she flies, 
To dark JEolia from the distant skies, 
Impregnated with storms ; whose tyrant binds 
The blust'ring tempests, and reluctant winds. 
Their rage> imperial iEolus restrains 
With rocky dungeons, and enormous chains, 
The bellowing brethren, in the mountain pent, 
Roar round the cave, and struggle for a vent. 
From his high throne, their fury to assuage, 
He shakes his sceptre, and controls their rage ; 
Or, down the void, their rapid whirls had driven 
Earth, air, and ocean, and the tow'rs of heaven. 
But Jove, the mighty ruin to prevent, 
In gloomy caves th' aerial captives pent ; 
O'er their wild rage the pond'rous rocks he spread, 
And hurl'd huge heaps of mountains on their head % 
And gave a king, commission'd to restrain, 
And curb the tempest, or to loose the rein. 

Who was Demogorgon ? 

This allegorical Divinity was the genius of 



84 



BEMOGORGON. 



the earth. Such fear and veneration did his 
name inspire, that no one durst pronounce it 
aloud. Philosophers regarded this Deity as 
the spirit of heat, the life and support of 
plants, but he was reverenced by the people 
at large, as a real being. His figure was 
that of a dirty old man, pale and disfigured, 
covered with moss, and residing in the 
bowels of the earth. 

"What did the poets feign concerning him ? 

Weary and disgusted with his dismal 
abode, Demogorgon formed a ball, seated 
himself upon it, and rising into the air, fixed 
the limits of the earth, and created the hea- 
vens. Passing over the Acroceraunian moun- 
tains which emitted fire, he took from them 
some flaming matter, with which he made the 
sun; he then placed it in the heavens to illu- 
mine the earth. From him proceeded Tar- 
tarus and Nox. 

What were the various appellations given 
to the earth ? 

The names of Ops and Tellus were indif- 
ferently applied to the earth ; and frequently 
also the appellations of the Goddesses, Vesta, 
Ceres, Proserpine, Rhea, Diana, and Cybele. 



THE BOUNTIFUL GODDESS. 



85 



What was the festival of the Bona Dea, or 
Bountiful Goddess ? 

It was celebrated by the Romans in honour 
of the earth, with the utmost magnificence 
and attention. The house, in which it was 
performed, was superbly adorned, and the 
apartments splendidly illuminated. They 
were extremely cautious to prevent the pre- 
sence of any male animal. The master of 
the house, his sons, his men-servants, werj 
excluded; all the windows carefully closed, 
and even the pictures of males were veiled. 

Who was Terminus ? 

Numa, finding the laws which he had 
established for the security of property insuf- 
ficient, persuaded the Romans that there 
existed a God, the guardian of boundaries, 
and the avenger of usurpation. He built a 
temple to him upon the Tarpeian mountain, 
instituted feasts to his honour, and prescribed 
the form of his worship. He was repre- 
sented under the form of an immoveable rock. 
Milk, cakes, and fruit, were offered to him, 
and his image was crowned with flowers and 
rubbed with oil. 



86 FLORA. — POMONA. — PXIIAPUS. 



CHAP. XXL 

Who was Flora ? 

Flora was the wife of Zephyrus, the God- 
dess of flowers ; in honour of whom the 
Romans celebrated games. 

Who was Pomona ? 

The goddess of orchards, married to Ver- 
tumnus. The supposed skill of this goddess 
in the cultivation of fruit-trees and gardens, 
procured for her great reputation among the 
Romans, who placed her in the Pantheon. 
Pomona was represented under the form of a 
beautiful young woman sitting upon a basket 
of fruit ; and near her, stood Vertumnus in 
the figure of a young man, holding fruit in 
one hand, and in the other, the horn of 
plenty. 

Who was Priapus ? 

He was considered likewise as the God 
of gardens. He was accounted the son of 
Venus and Bacchus ; and his image, a most 
hideous mis-shapen figure, was set up to 
frighten away birds and thieves. The eastern 



RURAL DIVINITIES. 87 

nations worshiped him under the name of 
Baal Peor 

Who was Pales ? 

Pales was the goddess of shepherds and 
protectress of flocks. Her feasts, called 
Pahha or Parilia, were celebrated in the 
month of April, on which occasion, no victim 
was killed, and nothing offered but the fruits 
of the earth. The shepherds purified their 
hocks with the smoke of sulphur, olive wood, 
box, laurel, and rosemary. They then made 
a fare of straw, round which they danced • 
and, afterwards, presented to the goddess' 
milk, cheese, prepared wine, and millet cakes, 
it was during this feast, they celebrated the 
founding of Rome. 

What were the other rural Divinities? 
Anna Perenna, nearly the same as Pales; 
Buoona, goddess of herdsmen ; Mellona, of 
oees; Seisa, protectress of corn when in the 
ground; Segesta, during the harvest ; Tute- 
hna when stored; and Robigus, who was 
invoked [to preserve it from the mildew. 
Bonus Eventus, Good Success, was placed in 
the capital and honoured with a statue from 
the nana of Praxiteles. Populonia protected 
12 



88 



RURAL DIVINITIES. 



the fruits of the earth from hail and lightning. 
Pilumnus presided over the grinding of corn, 
and Picumnus over the manuring of lands. 

Hippona was the Goddess of horses and 
stables ; and Collina of hills ; while Jugatinus 
presided over hillocks. These were all 
invented by the Romans, and are not to be 
met with among the Grecian Deities. 

The Satyrs, Fauns, and Egipans, were 
rural divinities, supposed to inhabit forests 
and mountains. They were represented as 
half men and half goats, 



CHAP. XXII. 

Who was the God Pan ? 

The God Pan held a principal place 
among the most ancient divinities. By the 
poets, he is said to be the son of Jupiter and 
Calista, or of Mercury and Penelope. He 
was represented under the form of a 
satyr, half man and half goat, holding in his 
hand the rural pipe, invented by him, and 
called Syrinx. He was generally venerated 
by the Arcadians, as the head of all the rural 



PAN. 



S9 



Deities. In the month of February, the 
Romans celebrated his feasts, which they 
called Lupercalia from the place consecrated 
to him, being supposed to be the same, 
where Romulus and Remus were suckled by 
the wolf, in Latin lupus. His priests were 
called Luperci. Pan was also regarded as 
the inspirer of sudden unfounded fright and 
terror; especially of the unaccountable con- 
sternation which sometimes turned armies to 
flight. The Athenians had a statue of him, 
like that of Mars. And in some antique 
gems and sculptures, his figure is nearly as 
formidable as that of Medusa. 

What was the real origin of Pan ? 
It was extremely ancient. The Egyptians 
worshiping the sun as Osiris, and the moon 
.as Isis, and the several parts of the universe 
under various names, adored the whole col- 
lectively, under a figure half man, and half 
other animals. To this deity the Greeks 
gave the appellation of Pan, that is, in their 
language, the whole. 

What are the fictions of the poets con- 
cerning Pan? 

The poets relate that Pan was successively 
i 3. 



90 



PAN. 



in love with the nymphs Echo, Syrinx, and 
Pithys. Echo preferred the beautiful Nar- 
cissus ; who, seeing his own image in a foun- 
tain, was so captivated with it, that he 
remained gazing there, till he languished and 
died. Echo pined away with grief, but 
rje-ing immortal, preserved her voice, repeat- 
ing every sound which reached her. Syrinx 
was a nymph in the train of Diana, and, 
when pursued by Pan, fled for refuge to the 
river Ladon, her father, who changed her 
into a reed. Pan, observing that the reeds, 
when agitated by the wind, emitted a pleas- 
ing sound, connected some of them together, 
formed of them the rural pipe, and named it 
Syrinx. Pithys was more favourable to the 
God, but Boreas being jealous of this prefer- 
ence, with his powerful blast, precipitated 
her from a rock. While falling, she was 
changed into a pine tree, which was after- 
wards sacred to Pan. 

Milk and honey were offered to this 
Deit) 



SILENUS, 



91 



CHAR XXIII. 
Who was Silenus ? 

He was the chief of the satyrs, the foster-, 
father of Bacchus. The poets say that he 
was born at Malea. They represented him 
as an old man with a bald head, a flat nose, 
large ears, and every mark of intemperance. 
He was generally seen accompanying Bac- 
chus, riding upon an ass, but so intoxicated, 
as to be almost incapable of keeping his seat. 
Historians give a different account of him. 
They say that he was a philosopher of great 
wisdom and learning, who accompanied 
Bacchus in his expedition to India, and was 
his principal counsellor. 

Who were the Lares and Penates ? 

Gods presiding over empires, cities, high- 
ways, houses, and individuals. Among these 
Divinities, were ranked the souls of them 
who had faithfully served the state ; and 
families placed among them the spirits of 
their departed friends and relations. They 
were esteemed as the guardians of houses. 
They were worshiped, under the figure of 



THE LARES AND PENATES. 



small images of human form, and were kept 
in the most retired part of the edifices. 
Lamps, the symbols of vigilance, were con- 
secrated to them, ana that faithful domestic 
animal, the dog, was their sacrifice. When 
infants quitted one of their first ornaments, 
called the Bulla, it was deposited before the 
feet of these domestic Deities. During the 
public feasts of these Lares and Penates, 
small waxen images were suspended in the 
streets, and they were intreated, upon these 
alone, to lay the weight of their displeasure, 
if offended.. The Romans supposed them to 
be descendants of Jupiter and Larmida. 

What were the Genii ? 

They were likewise ranked in the number 
of these domestic Divinities. Every man 
was supposed to have two, accompanying 
him; one, the author of his happiness, the 
other, of his misery. They were represented 
as young men, holding, in one hand, a 
drinking vessel, and in the other, a horn of 
plenty. Sometimes they were depicted 
under the form of serpents. The forehead 
was peculiarly consecrated to them. It was 
the universal custom to invoke these Genii on 



THE GENII. 



93 



birth-days. The ground was strewed with 
flowers ; and wine was offered to them in 
cups. The opinion prevailed that the uni- 
verse abounded in spirits, presiding over its 
various parts and movements. Plato speaks 
of Gnomes, Sylphs, and Salamanders ; the 
first inhabiting the earth; the second, the 
air ; the third, the fire. 



CHAR XXIV, 

What is the poetical description of the 
infernal regions? 

Before the entrance of the infernal regions, 
called Avernus, was stationed a host of 
dreadful forms; diseases, terror, old age, 
hunger, sleep, death, war, discord, and the 
furies, the avengers of guilt 3 with snaky hair, 
and whips of scorpions. Near this dismal 
cavern is the road to the river Acheron, whi- 
ther resort the departed spirits, in order to 
pass over. Charon the aged, surly, boat- 

* CHARON. 
From hence, a dark uncomfortable road, 
Leads to dread Acheron's Tartarean flood, 



94 THE INFERNAL REGIONS. 



man, receives those into his bark who had 
been honoured with funeral rites, but rejects 
inexorably those who have not ; and they are 
condemned to wander for a whole century 
on its solitary shores. On the other side of 
the river, is the gate leading to the palace of 
Pluto, the sovereign of these dreary realms, 
which is guarded by Cerberus, an enormous 
dog with three heads, one of which is always 
upon the watch. * Within this seat of hor- 



Whose furious whirlpools boil on every side, 
And in Cocytus pour the roaring tide. 
All stain'd with ooze, and black with rising sands, 
.Lord of the flood, imperious Charon stands ; 
But rough, begrim'd, and dreadful he appear'd ; 
Rude and neglected, hung his length of beard ; 
All patch'd and knotted, nutters his attire ; 
His watchful eyeballs glare with sanguine fire. 
Though old, still unimpair'd by years, he stood, 
And hoary vigour blest the surly God. 
Himself still plied 'die oars, the canvas spread, 
And in his sable bark convey'd the dead. 

* CERBERUS. 
Arriv'd, they first grim Cerberus survey ; 
Stretch'd in his den tb' enormous monster lay : 
His three wide mouths, with many a dreadful yell, 
And long loud bellowings, shook the realms of hell : 



THE INFERNAL REGIONS* 



95 



ror are seen first, the souls of infants who 
expired as soon as born ; then those who are 
put to death unjustly, or who killed them- 
selves. Beyond them, wandering in myrtle 
groves, are the victims to love and despair. 
Then succeed the abodes of heroes. Not 
far from them, is seen the dread tribunal, 
where Minos, Eacus, and Rhadamanthus 
administer strict justice, and pass the irre- 
versible sentence. Then Tartarus, the tre- 
mendous prison, surrounded by three massy 
w r alls, having three gates of solid brass, round 
which the flaming Phleo-ethon rolls his waves 
of fire, and Cocytus extends his stagnant 
marsh. Here likewise is the river Styx, by 
which if the Gods swore, their oath was 
inviolable; and Lethe, whose waters, when 
tasted, produced forgetfulness of past events, 

Now o'er his neck the starting serpents rose, 
When to the fiend the dame a morsel throws. 
Honey, and drugs, and poppy juices, steep 
I The temper' d mass with all the pow'rs of sleep, 
With three huge gaping mouths, impatient flies 
The growling savage, and devours the prize ; 
Then, by the charm subdu'd, he sunk away ; 
And stretch'd o'er all the cave 3 the slumb'ring monster 
lay. 



98 INFERNAL REGIONS. — - ELYSIAN FIELDS. 



INFERNAL REGIONS- 
At hell's dread mouth a thousand monsters wait ; 
Grief weeps, and Vengeance bellows in the gate : 
Base Want, low Fear, and Famine's lawless rage, 
And pale Disease, and slow repining Age. 
Fierce formidable fiends ! the portal keep ; 
With Pain, Toil, Death, and Death's half-brother Sleep, 
There, joys, embitter'd with remorse, appear ; 
Daughters of Guilt ! here, storms destructive War ; 
Mad Discord there, her snaky tresses tore ; 
Here, stretch'd on iron beds, the Furies roar. 
Full in the midst, a spreading elm display'd 
His aged arms, and cast a mighty shade. 
Each trembling leaf, with some light vision teems, 
And heaves, impregnated with airy dreams. 

The Elysian fields, the abodes of the vir- 
tuous, are crowned with eternal spring and 
immortal beauty. 

Whence did the Greeks and Romans bor- 
row this fiction ? 

From the funeral rites of the Egyptians. 
A priest, answering to the Grecian Mercury, 
took charge of the body, immediately after 
death. Another, who wore a mask resem- 
bling three heads, like those ascribed to Cer- 
berus, ferried it over the Nile, to Heliopolis, 
he city of the Sun. The Elysian fields 
were the beautiful plains surrounding the 
lake Acherusa, near Memphis. But before 



THE ELY SI AN FIELDS. 



97 



the corpse was thus wafted over the river, a 
tribunal of forty judges assembled, before 
whom, any, who thought themselves injured 
by the deceased, might bring forward their 
accusations. If the charges were proved, 
the rites of interment were refused; but if 
not, the accuser was liable to a heavy punish- 
ment, and the body was conveyed to the 
Elysian fields, accompanied by the applauses 
of the attendants. Even their monarchs 
were not exempted from this judgment. 

What representations do the Poets give 
of the Elysian fields ? 

The Poets describe the Elysian fields, the 
abodes of heroes and virtuous characters, as 
adorned with all the beauties of nature, 
which can sooth and delight the mind. 
Hills, covered with fragrant shrubs, delicious 
valleys, flowery plains, shady groves, lucid 
streams, mild and balmy air, and unclouded 
gentle sunshine, all conspire to render the 
Elysian fields the seats of happiness and 
tranquillity. Their possessors are represented 
as employed in those pursuits, and enjoying 
those gratifications, which pleased them most ? 
during life. 

K 



98 



THE ELYS! AN FIELDS. 



ELYSIAN FIELDS. 

These rites complete, they reach the flowery plains , 
The verdant groves where pleasure endless reigns. 
Here glowing aether shoots a purple ray, 
And o'er the region pours a double day. 
From sky to sky th' unwearied splendour runs, 
And nobler planets roll round brighter suns. 
Some wrestle on the sands ; and some in play, 
And games heroic, pass the hours away. 
Those raise the song divine, and these advance, 
In measur'd steps, to form the solemn dance. 
Others, beneath a laurel grove, were laid, 
And, joyful, feasted in the fragrant shade. 
Here, glittering through the trees, his eyes survey 
The streams of Po descending from the day. 
Here, a blest train advance along the meads, 
And snowy wreaths adorn their graceful heads : 
Patriots, who perish'd for their country's right, 
Or nobly triumphed in the field of fight : 
There, holy priests, and sacred poets stood, 
Who sang with all the raptures of a God : 
Worthies, who life by useful arts refin'd ; 
With those, who leave a deathless name behind, 
Friends of tho world, and fathers of mankind. 



CHAP. XXV. 



Who was Pluto ? 

Piuto 9 the supreme ruler of the infernal 



PLUTO. 



99 



regions, was the third son of Saturn and 
Ops. 

What were his names ? 

His principal names v/ere Dis, signifying 
riches; Hades; Urgus, derived from the 
Latin word, to impel; Februus, from the 
word expressing the purifications which were 
practised in funeral rites; Orcus, Quietus, 
and Summanus. 

How w r as he represented ? 

Sometimes seated on a throne, surrounded 
with gloomy darkness; his countenance 
severe and frowning; in his hand a two- 
pronged fork, or a key, emblematical of the 
impossibility of returning from his domi- 
nions ; his head crowned with the flowers ot 
the Narcissus, or with Cypress or Ebony. 
Sometimes he is seen in a black chariot, 
drawn by black horses, a helmet on his head, 
which has the power of rendering him invi- 
sible. The victims offered to him were gene- 
rally black sheep. 

Who was Proserpine ? 

The daughter of Ceres, whom Pluto car- 
ried off and married, in the manner which has 
been already related in the history of Ceres. 
k 2 



100 



PLUTUS. 



Who was Plutus? 

The son of Ceres and Jason ; the God of 
riches, who was represented as blind, to sig- 
nify that riches are dispensed indifferently to 
the good and the wicked. 

What was the doctrine of transmigration ? 

When the souls left the bodies which they 
animated, they were conducted by Mercury, 
either to Tartarus, or the Elysian fields ; the 
wicked to the former, the virtuous to the 
jatter. 

It was almost universally believed, that 
after remaining a thousand years in that 
abode, the souls returned to earth, and ani- 
mated other bodies, either of men or animals. 
Before they quitted the infernal regions, they 
drank of the waters of Lethe, which made 
them forget all past events. 

This idea was derived likewise from the 
Egyptians, and in imitation of them, Orpheus, 
Homer, and other poets, introduced it into 
thea.' writings. 



THE INFERNAL JUDGES. 



CHAP. XXVI. 

Who were the three judges of the infernal 
regions ? 

Minos, son of Jupiter, and king of Crete, 
was supreme judge. Rhadamanthus, son of 
Jupiter and Europa, was judge of the Asiatics. 
Eacus, son of Jupiter and Egina, was ap- 
pointed to judge the Europeans. The tri* 
bunal stood in a place called the Field ol 
Truth, which falsehood and calumny could 
never approach. 

Who were the Furies ? 

They were three in number j Tisiphone *, 

* TISIPHONE. 

Now to the left, iEneas darts his eyes, 

Where lofty walls with triple ramparts rise. 

There rolls fierce Phlegethon, with thund'ring sound, 

His broken rocks, and whirls his surges round. 

On mighty columns rais'd sublime, are hung 

The massy gates, impenetrably strong. 

In vain would men, in vain would Gods essay, 

To hew the beams of adamant away. 

Here rose an iron tow'r : before the gate, 

By night and day, a wakeful fury sate, 

The pale Tisiphone ; a robe she wore, 

With all the pomp of horror, dy'd in gore. 

K 3 



102 



THE FURIES. 



Megaera, and Alecto. * They were ac- 
counted to be the daughters of Acheron and 
Nox. Their names signify rage, slaughter, 
and envy. They are represented with 
torches in their hands : their heads covered 
with snakes instead of hair, and holding 
whips of serpents or scorpions ; and funeral 
robes bound round their waists with girdles 
of snakes. The Greeks named them Dirae, 
Erinnes, Disturbers of the Mind. They 



Here the loud scourge, and louder voice of pain, 
The crashing fetter, and the rattling chain, 
Strike the great hero with the frightful sound, 
The hoarse, rough, mingled din, that thunders round. 

Pitt's Virgil. 

* ALECTO. 

This said, to earth th 5 impetuous goddess flies 
Inflam'd with rage and vengeance, from the skies 
Looks down, and, bending o'er the baneful cell, 
Calls dire Alecto from the realms of hell. 
Crimes, frauds, and murders, are the fiend's delight, 
The rage of death, and slaughters of the fight. 
So fierce her looks ! such terrors from her eyes ! 
Round her grim front such monstrous serpents rise ! 
She scares ev'n Pluto, her immortal sue ; 
Her sister furies, tremble and retire. 

Pitt's Virgil 



THE FATES. 



103 



were also called Eumenides, or the Mild, 
when supposed to be appeased by Minerva. 

Who were the Fates ? 

The Fates or Parcae were three in number, 
daughters of Necessity. They were supposed 
to spin and cut the thread of human life and 
destiny. Clotho held the distaff; Lachesis 
turned the spindle; Atropos cut the thread. 
Happy days were spun out of gold and sil- 
ver, while the thread of sorrow was of black 
worsted. The Fates are represented as three 
women bending under the weight of years. 
Clotho wore a robe of various colours, and a 
crown composed of seven stars. Her distaff 
reached from heaven to earth. The robe of 
Lachesis was spangled with stars, and near 
iier lay a number of spindles. Atropos, 
tlothed in black, held the fatal shears, ready 
to cut the thread of life. 

Who was Nemesis ? 

The goddess who presided over the pu- 
nishment of guilt. She is represented as 
traversing the earth, with great diligence, in 
search of the wicked ; furnished with wings, 
a helm, and a chariot wheel, to signify tha. 
no place could secure the guilty from her 



104< MANES. NOX. SOMNUS. MORS. 1 1 

pursuit. As a daughter of Astrea, or Jus- 
tice, she rewarded virtue, while she punished 
vice with unrelenting severity. 

Who were the Manes ? 

The gods, called Manes, were not clearly 
distinguished by the ancient poets. They 
were frequently considered as the souls of 
the dead, and sometimes confounded with 
the Lares. These divinities, however, pre- 
sided over funerals, and departed spirits, 
who were supposed to wander about the 
tombs. 

Who was Nox ? 

Nox, or Night, was the daughter of Chaos. 
She was represented in a long black veil 
spangled with stars, traversing the expanse 
of the firmament in a chariot of ebony. 

Who was Somnus ? 

The god of sleep, son of Nox, represented 
as a child in a profound sleep, holding in 
his handa poppies, which serve also for his 
pillow. 

Who was Mors ? 

Mors, or Death, was a daughter of Nox, 
depicted in the form of a skeleton, wearing a 
black robe, covered with stars: having winga 



MORS. 



105 



of an enormous length; her flesliless arms 
supporting a scythe. 



CHAP. XXVII. 

What was the worship paid to the infernal 
Divinities ? 

To these terrible Deities no altars were 
ever raised. Trenches were cut in the earth, 
into which was poured the blood of black 
sheep, or heifers. During the prayers, the 
priest lowered his hands towards the earth, 
instead of raising them towards heaven. 
Being regarded as implacable, these Deities 
were objects of great terror. No hymns 
were composed to their honour; no temples 
dedicated to them. 

Who were the principal criminals punished 
in the infernal regions ? 

The Titans were represented as being 
precipitated into Tartarus for having made 
war against Jupiter and the Gods ; they were 
Atlas, Briareus, Gyges, lapetus, Hyperion, 
and Oceanus. Some poets speak of them as 
whelmed beneath Sicily, and pretend that 



106 INFERNAL CRIMINALS. 



the dreadful eruptions of Etna, are occasioned 
by their violent struggles, Sisyphus, for 
having attempted to deceive Pluto, is con- 
demned to the never-ceasing labour of roll- 
ing an enormous rock up to the summit of a 
foteep mountain. 

SISYPHUS. 
With many a weary step, and many a groan, 
Up the high hill he heaves a huge, round stone ; 
, The huge, round stone, resulting with a bound, 
Thunders impetuous down, and smokes along the ground. 
Again the restless orb his toil renews, 
j Dust mounts in clouds, and sweat descends in dews. 

Pope's Homer's Odyssey. 

Phlegyas, a son of Mars, for having set fire 
to the temple of Apollo, at Delphi, sees, with 
terror, a vast stone suspended over his head, 
perpetually threatening to fall and crush him 
beneath its weight. 

The giant Tityus, a son of Jupiter, whose 
body covers nine acres, was slain by the 
arrow of Apollo, because he dared to insult 
Diana, and was thrown into Tartarus, where 
vultures unceasingly prey upon his liver, 
which is continually renewed. 



INFERNAL CRIMINALS. 



107 



TITYUS. 

TIi ere Tityus, large and long, in fetters bound, 

O'erspreads nine acres of infernal ground ; 

Two ravenous vultures, furious for their food, 

Scream o'er the fiend, and riot in his blood : 

Incessant, gore the liver in his breast ; 

Th' immortal liver grows, and gives th' immortal feast. 

Ixion, the rival of Jupiter, is bound to a 
wheel surrounded with serpents, and per- 
petually turning over a river of fire. Tan- 
talus, King of Phrygia, for having savagely 
murdered his own son Pelops, and served up 
his body at a banquet of the Gods, is con- 
demned to the ever- enduring pain of parch- 
ing thirst, and ravenous hunger. Though 
plunged in water, and surrounded with deli- 
cious food, they both elude his eager grasp. 

TANTALUS. 
There, Tantalus, along the Stygian bound, 
Pours out deep groans ; his groans thro* hell resound ; 
E'en in the circling floods, refreshment craves, 
And pines with thirst, amidst a sea of waves. 
When to the water, he his lip applies, 
Back from his lip the treacherous water flies* 
Above, beneath, around, his hapless head, 
Trees of all kinds delicious fruitage spread* 
The fruit he strives to seize ; but blasts arise, 1 
Toss it on high, and whirl it to the skies. 



108 



MULTIPLIED DIVINITIES. 



Lastly, the daughters of Danaus, fifty in 
number, who, all but one, at the command 
of their inhuman father, in one night killed 
their husbands, the sons of Egyptus, their 
father's brother, were sentenced to the con- 
tinued toil of filling, with water, vessels 
which had no bottom. 

Did not the ancients strangely multiply 
their divinities ? 

They deified virtues, passions, blessings, 
and evils. Virtue, Good Fortune, Hope 3 
Eternity, Concord, Time, Thought, Filial 
Piety, Compassion, Fidelity, Liberty, Silence, 
Licentiousness, Modesty, Justice, Providence, 
Opportunity, Fear, Flight, Paleness, Dis- 
cord ; all these were personified, and honoured 
under their respective emblems. 

Who were Comus and Momus ? 

Co runs presided over entertainments and 
the pleasures of the table. Momus, son of 
Somnus and Nox, was the god of raillery 
and repartee. He was the perfect buffoon of 
the feasts of the Gods. 

Who was Esculapius ? 

The God of Physic, the son of Apollo and 
Coronis. Being exposed upon a mountain 



ESCULAPITJS. 



109 



immediately after his birth, he was nourished 
by a goat. A shepherd discovering him, 
surrounded by rays of light, carried him 
home, and committed him to the care of his 
wife. He was afterwards placed under the 
tuition of Chiron, the Centaur. At Epidau- 
rus, he was worshiped under the form of a 
serpent, and sometimes under that of an old 
man, holding a staff encircled by a serpent. 



CHAP. XXVIII. 

Who were the Heroes or Demigods ? 

Princes and others, who, having, in theit 
life-time, performed illustrious actions, were, 
after their death, placed in the rank of sub- 
ordinate Deities ; had temples built in honour 
of them, and a high degree of worship paid 
to their memory. They were supposed to 
enjoy continued existence, and to interest 
themselves greatly in the affairs of mortals. 

Who were the earliest of these Heroes ? 

Inachus, Cecrops, Deucalion, who sur- 
vived the Deluge of the poets ; Pelops and 
Cadmus, who introduced the knowledge of 

L 



no 



HERCULES. 



letters. These were all leaders of colonies 
from various parts of the eastern countries, 
into Greece, and, respectively, founders of 
the States of Argos, Sicyon, Athens, Thebes, 
and Lacedenion. 

Who was Hercules? 

The son of Jupiter and Alcmena. He, 
being persecuted by the anger of Juno, 
traversed the earth, destroying monsters, 
giants, and oppressors of various kinds. For 
his illustrious actions he was deified, and 
regarded as the god of strength. He was 
also named Alcides, from his extraordinary 
force and valour. 

What were the labours of Hercules ? 

Twelve of his most remarkable actions 
were particularized by the name of his 
labours. He killed, in the forest of Nemea, 
an enormous lion, whose skin he afterwards 
wore. He destroyed, in the lake of Lerna, 
the Hydra, a dreadful serpent, which had 
seven heads ; as fast as either one of which 
was cut off, another instantly sprang up in 
its place. He bound the Erymanthian wild 
boar, an animal of astonishing size and fierce- 
ness. He, on foot, hunted down, after a 




n/J7i &i L 1 : Paterjzoster it* 



HERCULES. 



in 



chace of a year, a hind consecrated to Diana, 
whose feet were of brass, and whose horns 
were of gold. He killed or drove away the 
Stymphalides, birds which fed upon human 
flesh. He defeated the Amazons, a nation of 
warlike women, and took prisoner Hippolyte, 
their queen. In one day, by turning a river 
through it, he cleansed the stable of Augeas, 
which had not been emptied for thirty years, 
though three thousand oxen were constantly 
lodged in it. 

He tamed a furious bull, who did great 
mischief in Crete. He vanquished Diomede, 
tyrant of Thrace, who fed his horses with 
the flesh of his guests. He slew Geryon, 
king of Spain, a cruel giant with three 
bodies. He destroyed the huge dragon who 
guarded the golden apples in the gardens of 
the Hesperides. He dragged up to the light 
of day, Cerberus, the triple-headed dog of 
the infernal regions. 

What other actions of his life were remark- 
able ? 

When in his cradle, he strangled two 
serpents, sent by Juno to destroy him. He 
delivered Hesione, daughter of Laomedon, 

L 2 



112 



HERCULES. 



king of Troy ? from a horrible sea monster, 
to which she was exposed. At last, he burnt 
himself to death on a funeral pile, formed of 
trees, which he had torn up by the roots, 
when driven to distraction by the agony he 
suffered from a garment poisoned by the 
blood of the Lernean hydra. He was repre- 
sentee! as a prodigiously muscular man, 
clothed in the skin of the Nemean lion, and 
leaning upon a formidable club. The poplai 
tree was consecrated to him. 

HERCULES. 

The choirs of old and young, in lofty lays, 

Resound great Hercules' immortal praise, 

Hov/, first, his infant hands the snakes overthrew, 

That Juno sent ; and the dire monsters slew. 

"What mlgh'y cities, next, his arms destroy, 

Th' Oechahan walls, and stately tow'rs of Troy. 

The thousand labours of the hero's hands, 

Enjoin'd by proud Euristheus' stern commands, 

And Jove's revengeful queen. Thy matchless might 

O'ercame the cloud-born Centaurs in the fight, 

Hylseus, Pholus sunk beneath thy feet, 

And the grim bull whose rage dispeopled Crete. 

Beneath thy arm Nemea's lion fell ; 

Thy arm with terror fill'd the realms of hell. 

Nor Lerna's fiend thy courage could confound, 

With all her hundred heads that hiss'd around. 



THESEUS. 



— tLEDALUS. 



113 



Hail mighty chief, advanc'd to heav'n's abodes, 
Hail son of Jove, a God amongst the Gods. 

Pitt's Virgil. 

Who was Theseus ? 

Son of Egeon, king of Athens ; a hero 
who, like Hercules, went about destroying 
oppressors and combating wild beasts. Piri- 
thous, king of the Lapithae, a people of 
Thessaly, was his friend, and his companion 
in many of his enterprises. The poets relate 
a number of extravagant tales of them both. 

Who was Daedalus ? 

Great grandson of Erectheus, king of 
Athens, the most ingenious and celebrated 
artist of Greece ; a skilful architect, and most 
expert sculptor. He invented the wedge, 
the axe, the level, and the auger, and was 
the first who made use of sails, which, by 
poetical licence, were called wings. He is 
said to have built, for Minos, king of Crete, 
an edifice so curiously constructed, that a 
person once placed in it, could not find his 
way out again. This was called the labyrinth. 
Hence the proverb, to be in a labyrinth , 
that is, in a situation from which it is difficult 
to extricate one's self. 

l 3 



114 



JASON. 



Who was Jason, and what was the expedi- 
tion of the golden fleece ? 

Jason, the son of Eson and Alcimede, was 
the leader of the Argonauts, or heroes who 
sailed in the ship Argo, from Greece to Col- 
chis, to fetch the golden fleece. This was an 
expedition undertaken to recover some trea- 
sures, which had been carried thither from 
their own country. This enterprise, and the 
dangers attending it, were highly ornamented 
by poetic fiction. The treasure being repre- 
sented as a ram having a golden fleece, and 
ihe diflicuities they met with, as formidable 
monsters guarding it; which were overcome 
by Jason, through the magical aid of Medea, 
daughter of Aetes, king of Colchis, who fell in 
.ove with, and accompanied him to Greece. 

Hercules; Telamon; Castor and Pollux, 
the famous twin sons of Jupiter and Leda, 
celebrated, the former, for skill in horseman- 
ship, the latter, in pugilism; Orpheus, the 
great poet and musician ; Calais and Zethes, 
the winged sons of Boreas; and Lynceus, 
famous for astonishingly quick sight, with 
mauy other heroes, were engaged in this 
expedition. 



CENTAURS. SPHYNX. 115 



Were there not other heroes highly 
respected, if not worshiped by the Pagan 

world ? 

Yes, many. The heroes of the Theban 
war, Eteocles, Poiynices, Adrasttis, Tydeus, 
Capaneus, Amphiaraus, Hippomcdon. Those 
of the Trojan war, Achilles, Nestor, Ulysses, 
Diomede, Hector, Paris, Agamemnon, Me- 
nelaus, and Ajax. 

What were the Centaurs ? 

Imaginary beings, half men and halt 
horses ; the idea of which was suggested by the 
Thessalians, who first mounted and managed 
horses. One of these Centaurs, named Chi* 
ron, was celebrated as being very respectable 
for knowledge and virtue. To him was com- 
mitted the education of Achilles, and of other 
heroes. 

What was the Sphynx ? 

A monster, having the face, hands, and 
voice of a young woman, the wings of a bird, 
the body of a dog, the eyes of a dragon, and 
the talons of a lion. She infested the coun- 
try round Thebes, proposing enigmas to pas- 
sengers, and tearing to pieces the unhappy 
wretches who could not answer them. CEdi- 



216 



CHIMJfiRA. 



pus answering her riddles, she cast herself 
headlong from a rock, and died, dashed to 
pieces. 

Who was Chimaera ? 

A dreadful monster, having the head and 
breast of a lion, the belly of a goat, the tail 
of a serpent, and vomiting forth fire. This 
fiction was occasioned by a lambent flame of 
some ignited gas, issuing from a small ca- 
vity in the side of a lofty mountain of Lycia, 
and which is still apparent. On the summit 
of the mountain, were lions \ in the middle, 
goats pastured; and the lower regions were 
infested by serpents. Bellerophon, a famous 
hero, made this mountain habitable, and was, 
therefore, said to have killed the Chimaera. 

CHIMiERA. 
First, dire Chimaera' s conquest was enjoin'd ; 
A mingled monster of no mortal kind : 
Behind, a dragon's fiery tail was spread ; 
A goat's rough body, bore a lion's head ; 
Her pitchy nostrils flaky flames expire ; 
Her gaping throat emits infernal fire. Pope's Homer. 

What were the Harpies and the Gorgons? 

The Harpies were fierce winged animals, 
with the faces of virgins, the bodies of birds, 
the claws of lions. 



THE HARPIES AND GOftGONS. 117 

HARPIES. 
Safe from the storm, the Stromphades I gain, 
Encircled by the vast Ionian main, 
Where dwelt Coelene, with her Harpy train. 
Such fiends to scourge mankind, so fierce, so fell, 
Heav'n never summon'd from the depth of Hell ; 
A virgin face with wings and hooked claws, 
Death in their eyes, and famine in their jaws ; 
While proof to steel, their hides and plumes remain, 
We strike th' impenetrable fiends in vain. Pitt's Virgil. 

The Gorgons were the three daughters of 
Phorcus and Cete. Instead of hair, their 
heads were covered with vipers. So dreadful 
was their appearance, as to turn into stone 
all who beheld them, They had the faces 
and breasts of women, and the tails of ser- 
pents. The head of one of these monsters, 
cut off by Perseus, was fixed in the formidable 
shield of Minerva, called die Egis. 

Who was Prometheus ? 

The son of lapetus, who incurred the 
wrath of Jupiter, by stealing fire from the 
chariot of the sun, to animate the figure of a 
man which he had formed of clay, with exqui- 
site skill. For this theft, he was chained down 
to a rock on mount Caucasus : and a vulture 
was commissioned to prey unceasingly upon 
his liver, which renewed itself as fast as it 



118 



PROMETHEUS. 



was devoured. From this torment Hercules 
delivered him, by killing the vulture. Pro- 
metheus was venerated as the inventor of 
many useful arts. An altar was dedicated 
to him by the Athenians. 



CHAP. XXIX. 

What were the seven wonders of the 
world ? 

lirst. The Colossus of Rhodes, a statue 
of Apollo, seventy cubits high; striding 
across the mouth of the harbour ; so that a 
large ship, under sail, might pass between its 
legs. A man could not grasp its thumb with 
his two arms. After having stood fifty years, 
it was overthrown by an earthquake. 

Second. The temple of Diana, at Ephe- 
sus, a work of astonishing magnificence. It 
was supported by 127 pillars, each sixty feet 
high. It took 220 years to finish it. It 
was designedly set on fire on the day that 
Alexander the Great was born. 

Third. The Mausoleum, a most beautiful 



THE SEVEN WONDERS, 



119 



sepulchre of marble, built by Artemisia, 
queen of Caria, in honour of her deceased 
husband, Mausolus. 

Fourth. A statue of Jupiter, in his temple, 
in the city of Olympia, formed with wonder- 
ful art by Phidias, of ivory and gold, and of 
prodigious size. 

Fifth. The walls of Babylon, built by Se- 
miramis, whose circumference was sixty miles, 
and whose breadth was so great, that six 
chariots could drive upon them abreast. 

Sixth. The pyramids of Egypt, three of 
which still remain to astonish mankind. The 
largest of them is 143 feet long, and 1000 
high. It is constructed of enormous stones, 
thirty feet thick. It is recorded that 360,000 
men were employed in building it, during 
the space of twenty years. The other two 
are smaller. It is supposed they were intended 
as sepulchres for the kings of Egypt. 

Seventh. The Palace of Cyrus, king of 
Persia, which is recorded to have been a most 
splendid edifice, of which the stones were 
cemented with gold. It was built with equal 
skill and magnificence by an architect, named 
Menon. 



120 



PART II. 



CHAP. I. 

ORIENTAL MYTHOLOGY. 

What was the nature of the Oriental My- 
thology, whence the Grecian was confessedly 
derived ? 

The history of Oriental Mythology and su- 
perstition may be arranged in four divisions, 
succeeding each other in chronological order. 

The first is that of the doctrines of the 
Emanation and Transmigration of Souls. The 
second is that of Astrolatry or Sabism, the 
worship of the heavenly bodies, and of the 
visible elements. The third is that of the 
dogma of Two Principles ; or of the warfare 
between light and darkness, between the 
good and the evil genius. The fourth is 
the age of Pantheism. 

What were the doctrines of the Emanation 
and Transmigration of Souls? 

Among the various systems of religion 
or philosophy, which have prevailed in the 



ORIENTAL MYTHOLOGY. 



121 



oriental regions, none is of higher antiquity, 
{excepting the divine Mosaic Dispensation,) 
than the doctrine of the emanation and 
wandering of souls, which teaches that from 
the infinite essence of the Eternal Being 
emanated all the powers of nature, all the 
capacities of mind and matter, and all indivi- 
dual living creatures, whether animals or 
plants ; for all plants were supposed to contain 
imprisoned souls, involved in shades of dark- 
ness, as the recompense of past transgressions, 
but endued w T ith inward conscience, and still 
not only susceptible of happiness or pain, but 
also sensible of the destruction awaiting them, 
as they were ever hastening towards the inevit- 
able goal, in that career which was allotted 
to them. Thus every soul, from the most 
exalted intelligence to the herb of the field, 
was imagined to be wandering towards its 
doom, in a world always tending to decay 
and ruin. The re-union of particular beings 
with the Original Essence, or Great Soul, was 
regarded as possible, but not necessarily im- 
plied ; while the perversely guilty were con- 
sidered as cut off, and cast away for ever. 
From these ideas of various kinds of 

M 



122 



ORIENTAL MYTHOLOGY. 



living and conscious beings, concealed under 
such a vast diversity of forms, and of their 
perpetual approach towards, or departure 
from, the common source, arose the fiction 
of the Metempsychosis, or transmigration of 
souls ; that is, their passing through numer- 
ous animal and other forms. With the 
same principle was closely connected the 
belief in a former life, or the pre-existence of 
souls ; and the obscure remembrance of 
perfections and events which existed in that 
preceding state, occasionally awakened by the 
sight of beautiful objects, partaking in some 
degree of the same qualities. 



CHAR II. 

What was the nature of the second branch 
of Oriental Mythology ? 

Astrolatry, the second division of the Ori- 
ental Mythology, included not only the wor- 
ship of the heavenly bodies, or pure Sabism, 
but, likewise, that of many other material, 
visible objects ; such as deified illustrious 
men, &c." 



ORIENTAL MYTHOLOGY* 123 

When men had gradually departed from 
the only living and true God, and had lost 
the sublime idea of an invisible but ever 
present Intelligence, they saw nothing in 
nature so beautiful and beneficial as the 
sun, and soon began to render him divine 
honours, as the dispenser of light, repre- 
senting him by various forms and symbols* 
The moon and stars, objects next in splen- 
dour to the great luminary of day, attracted 
also a proportionate degree of their admir- 
ation and worship. This species of idolatry 
began, as the sacred records of the Old 
Testament inform us, soon after the Deluge, 
being known in the time of Abraham. This 
was naturally accompanied by a belief in 
Astrology, or the doctrine of the stars pos- 
sessing some mysterious influence over the 
concerns and welfare of mortals, and the 
false science of forming, from their aspects, 
predictions of the fate of individuals, and 
of whole communities of the human race. 
From the worship of the heavenly bodies, 
men proceeded to that of the elements, seas, 
rivers, and other sensible objects; and, at 
last, celebrated heroes, sages, and legislators, 
m 2 



124 



ORIENTAL MYTHOLOGY. 



who, during their lives, had obtained great 
fame and extensive respect, by brilliant or 
beneficial actions, were ranked among the 
deities. 

What is the doctrine of the two principles, 
the prevalence of which marks the third 
branch of the history of Oriental Mythology ? 

Perceiving the difference, and feeling the 
influence, of what appeared, to limited hu- 
man capacity, good and evil, men could 
not believe that the same being was the 
author of both ; and therefore imagined two 
deities, nearly equal in power, and both 
eternal, carrying on perpetual warfare; the 
one benevolent, the other malevolent. To 
these deities different nations assigned dif- 
ferent names; and worshiped them under 
various symbolical forms and images. 

What is the doctrine of Pantheism, which 
characterizes the fourth division of Oriental 
Mythology ? 

The doctrine of Pantheism teaches that 
there is but one Being existing; a Being 
eternal, infinite; of whom all other beings 
are parts; and that consequently there are 
no individual separate existences. 



PAGANISM. — BUDDHISM. 



125 



" All are but parts of one stupendous whole, 
Whose body Nature is, and God the soul ; 
That, changed through all, and yet in all the same ; 
Great in the earth as in the ethereal frame, 
Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, 
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees ; 
Lives through all life, extends through all extent ; 
Spreads undivided, operates unspent ; 
Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part, 
V As full, as perfect in a hair as heart ; 
As full, as perfect in vile man that mourns, 
As the rapt seraph that adores and burns. 
To Him no high, no low, no great, no small ; 
He fills, he bounds, connects, and equals all." Porz, 



CHAP. III. 

PAGANISM. BUDDHISM. 

May not Paganism be classed under two 
great primeval sects ? 

Though all the various systems of Pagan 
Mythology appear to be streams, wandering 
more or less widely from the patriarchal 
religion, yet the existence of two principal 
sects, venerating a supreme God, but differ- 
ing in the names they assigned him, and in 
their rites ,and forms of worship, may be 
distinctly traced to very high antiquity. The 
one may be called the Osiric, or Brahmin ical 
M 3 



126 



PAGANISM. 



superstition, the source of the Egyptian, Per- 
sian, and Grecian Mythologies, which is still 
professed, though greatly corrupted, by the 
Hindus, and many other people in the central 
and eastern regions of Asia. The other may 
be styled the Thothic, or Buddhic supersti- 
tion, the parent of the Scythian and other 
systems, which, in a corrupted state, likewise 
extends from the north of Tartary to Ceylon, 
throughout China, the Birman empire, the 
eastern peninsula of India, with the numer- 
ous islands to the south of it ; most of the 
countries east of the Ganges, and in Tibet, 
where resides the Grand Lama, the Chief 
Priest of that religion, who is supposed to 
be immortal, by the transmigration of his 
soul into an infant body, as his successive 
material coverings are worn out, and are 
dissolved by death. 

Are there not found, in most of the Pagan 
mythologies, traditions which appear to be 
derived, originally, from our Sacred History? 

The creation; the general deluge, with 
the deliverance of Noah and his children, 
and their re-peopling the earth ; the disper- 
sion of men into various parts, at the build- 



PAGANISM. 



127 



ing the tower of Babel, appear to enter in 
different modes, into almost all the systems of 
Pagan Mythology, Traces of those events 
are distinguishable in the Buddhic, the 
Hindu, the Egyptian, Persian, Babylonian, 
Celtic, and Grecian, and in many of the 
more modern religions of tribes, not blessed 
with the glorious light of the Gospel of 
Christ. To many of them, Noah seems to 
be a great object of worship, and even the 
ark itself, in which the Patriarch was saved. 

What are the peculiar characteristics of 
Buddhism ? 

It gives the name Buddha, or Boodha, 
significative of truth and wisdom, to the 
Supreme God, who appears to be the same 
as the Vishnu of the Hindus. It asserts, 
that at the solicitation of many of the deities, 
Buddha descended repeatedly to earth, and 
animated various human bodies ; in which he 
exercised every possible virtue, and exhibited 
extraordinary instances of self-denial and 
piety. After the last of these manifestations, 
it supposes him to have ascended to the hall 
of glory, named Mookze, a region higher 
than the twenty-sixtb heaven, where he 



128 



BUDDHISM. 



remains in happiness and incorruptibility; 
while his doctrine will remain in splendout 
for five thousand years. In process of time, 
another Buddha is to appear upon earth; 
and, after an infinite number of ages, the 
universe will perish and a new order of things 
succeed. Buddha is represented as not 
purely spirit, but as having a body eighteen 
cubits high; as eating rice and vegetables, 
and as having many other attributes of 
human nature: and yet he is imagined to 
pass through the different worlds with vast 
rapidity. His temples are generally in rocky 
caves, formed by nature, but enlarged and 
ornamented by art. According to the respec- 
tive forms and sizes of his temples, the images 
of this deitv are either standing erect, or 
sitting with the legs crossed; or lying on the 
right side. They are universally yellow. A 
large yellow robe, lined with red, covers the 
whole body, excepting the right breast, 
Like all other Indian statues of gods, they 
are adorned with bracelets. The head is 
exposed ; the hair is plaited up together, at 
the back of it ; and the top is surmounted 
by the form of a flame. The sides of the 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



129 



temples are generally decorated with the 
figures of other divinities. On one side of 
the temples of Buddha, which are called by 
the general name of Veharri, are always 
monuments in the shape of cupolas, placed 
on pedestals, and supposed to contain some 
particles of his bones. His priests are 
clothed in yellow, are forbidden to marry, to 
partake of animal food, or to eat any thing 
after noon-day. Their business is to keep 
the temples clean, and their lamps always 
lighted; to scatter fresh flowers on the statues 
of Buddha, and to perform musical services 
in his honour every morning and evening. 



CHAP. IV. 

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

Of what nature is the Indian Mythology? 

The real doctrine contained in the sacred 
books of the ancient Indian Mythology, is 
the unity of the Deity ; in whom the universe 
is comprehended ; of which the elements, 
stars, and planets, became objects of worship, 



130 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



because parts of him, the great whole. But 
though the oldest Hindu scriptures seem to 
make the world one with the Deity, yet they 
also explicitly convey the doctrine of cre- 
ation, in the true sense. They assert the 
prior existence of an Eternal and Spiritual 
Being, who, by an act of his will, called forth 
the material universe, and gave origin to all 
subordinate souls, which are represented as 
emanating successively from the essence of 
the Supreme. The holy books containing 
the principles of the Indian Mythology are 
called the Vedas. The sacred language of 
the Brahmins or Hindu priests, is named the 
Sanscreet, or Sanscrit. The One Supreme 
Being is denominated Brahme, or the Great 
One; he is declared to be uncreated and 
eternal, and his essence is asserted to be 
infinitely above the comprehension of any 
mind but his own. He is supposed to 
manifest his power by the operation of his 
Divine Spirit; who is entitled Vishnu, or 
Veeshnu, the Preserver^ the Pervader ; and 
Narayan, or Mover on the W aters ; who 
preserves and supports the whole order of 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY, 



181 



nature. The Divine Power, engaged in 
creating, is the Deity Brahma; and when 
viewed in the light of the Destroyer, or 
rather the Changer of forms, he is termed 
Siva, Seeva, Mahadeva, or Mahadeo. These 
three celestial beings, or this three-fold Divi- 
nity, armed with the terrors of almighty 
power, pursue, throughout the whole crea- 
tion, the rebellious Dewtahs, or malignant 
Spirits, who were led astray by Mahasoor, 
their chief, hurling upon them the Agnyastra, 
or fiery bolts of vengeance. The Hindu 
Mythology resembles, in many respects, that 
of the Scythians, the ancient Persians, Egyp- 
tians, and Greeks. It is very fanciful ; incul- 
cating the doctrine of a multiplicity of aerial 
beings; dividing the world into ten partis; 
and setting over each, a presiding guardian 
Spirit. 

What is the doctrine of the Hindu My- 
thology concerning the primitive element, of 
which the world was formed ? 

It teaches that water is the primitive ele- 
ment, and the idea of the Spirit of the uni- 
versal Creator moving on the waters, is 
similar to, and probably borrowed from, the 



132 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



sublime opening of the book of Genesis 
" In the beginning, God created the heavens 
and the earth ; and the earth was void and 
waste ; and darkness was on the face of the 
deep. And the Spirit of God moved on the 
face of the waters." 

What is the Hindu account of the creation? 

It asserts that this world was all darkness, 
till the self-existent, invisible God, making it 
manifest with five elements, and other glori- 
ous forms, perfectly dispelled the gloom. 
He, desiring to raise up various creatures by 
an emanation of his own glory, first created 
the waters and impressed them with a power 
of motion. By that motion, was produced 
a golden egg, blazing like a thousand suns, 
in which was bora Bmhma, the parent of all 
rational beings. That God having dwelt in 
the egg, during a long series of ages, medi- 
tating on himself, at last divided it into two 
equal parts ; and from these halves, formed 
the heavens and the earth ; placing in the 
midst, the subtle ether; the eight points of 
the world, and the permanent receptacle of 
the waters. 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



What are the names and attributes of 
inferior Gods of the Hindu Mythology? 

Casyapa, the ancient God of the heavens, 
with Aditi his consort, parents of many of 
the inferior Deities. 

Ganesa, or Pollear son of Seeva, the God 
of wisdom, depicted with an elephant's head, 
the symbol of sagacious discernment, and 
attended by a rat, which the Indians regarded 
as a wise and provident animal. 

All sacrifices and religious ceremonies ; 
addresses to superior Gods ; serious writings, 
and worldly affairs of moment, are begun by 
pious Hindus, with an invocation of Ganesa. 
His image is set up in their streets and their 
high roads; and against their temples and 
houses. They daily sprinkle it with oil and 
adorn it with flowers. 

Menu, or Satyavrata, the lawgiver. Four- 
teen of this name, are supposed, by the Hin- 
dus, to have existed successively. The 
history of the third of these 2 bears a strong- 
resemblance to that of Noah. 

Lachsmee, the goddess of abundance, who 
presides over agricultural labours, and is the 
wife of Vishnu, She is represented with a 

N 



134 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



twisted cord under her arm, somewhat 
resembling the cornucopia, or horn of plenty 
of the Grecian Ceres. 

Indra, the King ; the God of the Heavens 
chief of the good spirits. His consort is 
named Sachi ; his celestial city, Amaravati ; 
his palace, Vaijayanta; his garden, Nandana; 
his chief elephant, Airavat; his charioteer, 
Matali; and his weapon, Vajra, or the thun- 
derbolt. He is the master of the thunder ; the 
ruler of the winds and showers. His pecu- 
liar place of abode is Meru, or the North 
Pole, allegorically represented as a mountain 
of gold and gems. 

In the mid garden tower' d a giant tree, 
Rock-rooted on a mountain top it grew ; 
Rear'd its unrival'd head on high, 
And stretch'd a thousand branches o'er the sky, 

Drinking with all its leaves, celestial dew. 
Lo ! where from thence, as from a living well, 
A thousand torrents flow ! 
' For still in one perpetual shower, 
Like diamond drops, ethereal waters, fell 
From every leaf of all its ample bower. 
Rolling adown the steep 
From that aerial height 
Through the deep shade of aromatic trees 
Half seen, the cataracts shoot their gleams of light f 
And pour upon the breeze 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



135 



Their thousand voices ; far away, the roar, 

In modulations of delightful sound, 
Half-heard and ever varying, floats around* 
Below, an ample lake expanded lies, 

Blue as the over-arching skies. 
On that ethereal lake whose waters lie, 
Blue and transpicuous, like another sky, 
The elements had rear'd their king's abode. 

And form'd a palace worthy of the God, 
Built on the lake, the waters were its floor ; 
And here, its walls were water arch'd with fire, 
And here, were fire with water vaulted o'er. 
And spires and pinnacles of fire 
Round watery cupolas aspire, 
And domes of rainbow rest on fiery towers, 
And roofs of flame are turreted around 
With cloud ; and shafts of cloud with flame are bound, 
Here, too, the elements for ever veer, 
Ranging around with endless interchanging ; 
The parts all shifting, still unchang'd the whole. 
Even we, on earth, at intervals descry 
Gleams of the glory, streaks of flowing light, 
Openings of heaven, and streams that flash at night 
In fitful splendour, through the northern sky. 

Southey's Kehama. 

Seshanaga, the Sovereign of Patala ? or 
the infernal regions ; the king of serpents. 
He is thus described in the Bhagavat, a sacred 
Hindu poem, His appearance is gorgeous 
and brilliant. He has a thousand heads; 
and on each of them, is a crown set with 
N 2 



136 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



resplendent gems. His neck, tongues, and 
body, are black. His eyes gleam like torches. 
The skirts of his robes are yellow. A spark- 
ling jewel is hung on each one of his ears. 
His arms are extended, and adorned with 
rich bracelets. His hands bear the holy 
shell, the radiated weapon, the war-mace, 
and the lotos. 

Yama or Yamen, God of death. He is 
esteemed to be a child of the sun, and thence 
named Vaivaswata. He is called also. King 
of Justice. He is distinguished as being the 
judge of departed souls; for the Hindus 
believe, that when a soul leaves its body, it 
is immediately conveyed to Yamapur, or the 
city of Yama; where it receives a just sen- 
tence from him ; and thence, either ascends 
to Swerga, or the first heaven ; or is driven 
down to Narac, the region of serpents; or 
assumes, on earth, the form of some animal ; 
unless its offence had been so heinous, as 
to merit a vegetable, or even a mineral 
prison. 

Two forms inseparable in unity 
Hath Yamen ; even as with hope or fear, 
The soul regardeth him, doth he appear. 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



137 



They, who polluted with offences come. 

Behold him as the King 
Of terrors ; black of aspect, red of eye, 
Reflecting back upon the sinful mind 
Its own inborn deformity. 
But to the righteous spirit, how benign, 
His awful countenance, 
Where tempering justice with parental love, 

Goodness, and heav'nly grace, 
And sweetest mercy shine. Yet is he still 
Himself the same, one form, one face, one will ; 
And these his twofold aspects are but one ; 

And change is none 
In him; for change in Yamen could not be, 
The immutable is he. 

Bhavani, or Parvati, the consort of Seeva, 
the Goddess of generation, whose rites and 
emblems are shamefully immoral and inde- 
cent. 

Carticeya, the son of Parvati, the leader 
of the celestial armies. He is represented 
as riding upon a peacock ; clothed in a robe 
spangled with eyes; having six heads, and 
numerous hands, which grasp spears, sabres, 
and other weapons of war. 

Seraswatti, the wife of Brahma, and em- 
blem of his creative power, the patroness 
of the arts and sciences. She is depicted as 
N 3 



138 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



holding in her hands the palmira leaf, and 
the reed for writing. 

Durga, the same Goddess, when regarded 
as difficult of access, the severe, the majestic 
Divinity of heroic virtue, the vanquisher of 
demons and giants. 

Cama, the beautiful God of love, having a 
bow of cane, and shafts enwreathed with 
flowers. 

Suradevi, the Goddess of wine, w T ho arose 
from the ocean, when, after the deluge, it 
was churned by the Gods, with the moun- 
tain Mandar, and forced to throw up the 
sacred things, and animals, and the water of 
life, which it had swallowed. 

Varuna, the genius of the waters. 

Agni, the genius of fire. 

Agnyastra, the fabricator of the heavenly 
fiery shafts. 

Pavan, the ruler of the winds. 

Mariatale, the favouring Goddess of the 
Parias, the lowest and miserably despised 
Caste, or division of the Hindus ; rejected by 
their countrymen, and condemned to per- 
form all the most laborious and degrading 
offices of life. 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



139 



Do the Hindus pay adoration to the sun. 
and moon ? 

The worship of the sun appears to have? 
been the very source and fountain of idolatry 
in India. That luminary is adored by the 
Hindus, under the name of Surya, and the 
sect amongst them which is peculiarly ad- 
dicted to his worship is called Saura. Surya 
is represented as riding in a chariot, drawn 
by seven green horses, guided by his cha- 
rioteer Arun, or the dawn. A very ancient 
traveller in India gives the following account 
of a temple of the Sun, which he, there, 
saw : " The walls were of red marble, inter-* 
spersed with streaks of gold. On the pave- 
ment was an image of the radiant Divinity, 
hardly inferior to himself in splendour ; his 
rays being imitated by a boundless profusion 
of rubies, pearls, and diamonds of inesti- 
mable value, arranged in a most judicious 
manner, and diffusing a lustre scarcely en- 
durable by the sight." In the Hindu work, 
called the Ayeen Akbery, is another de- 
scription of a temple of the Sun. " Near to 
Jaggernaut, is the temple of the Sun, in the 
erecting of which was expended the whole 



140 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



revenue of Orissa for twelve years. The 
wall which surrounds the edifice, is one 
hundred and fifty cubits high, and nineteen 
cubits thick; having three entrances. At 
the eastern gate are two very fine figures of 
elephants, each with a man upon his trunk. 
On the west are two surprising figures of 
horsemen completely armed, who, having 
killed two elephants, are seated upon them. 
In front of that gate is an octagonal pil- 
lar of black stone, fifty cubits high. Nine 
flights of steps lead to an extensive inclosure, 
in which is a large dome, constructed of 
stone, upon which are carved the sun and 
the stars ; and round them is a border, on 
which is represented a variety of human 
figures, expressive of different passions ; 
some kneeling, others prostrate ; together 
with a number of strange imaginary ani- 
mals." The vestiges of this superstition, are 
still evident in all the sacred rites, and 
various ceremonies of the Hindu priests. 
At their first assuming the Zennar, or sacred 
cord of three threads, the mystic symbo* 
of their faith, they learn the Gayteree, or. 
invocation of praise to the sun. At sun-rise 5 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



141 



they tarn to the east, and filling the palms 
of their hands with water, and at the same 
time, repeating a prayer, they throw it to- 
wards that luminary. They preserve, con- 
stantly burning, a kind of sacred fire, kindled 
by the friction of two pieces of palass wood, 
with which they perform the Howm, or 
burnt sacrifice. The new-born babe of a 
Brahmin, is exposed to the solar beam. 
They worship God in the Sun and in Fire. 

The Hindus regard the Moon as a male 
Deity, to whom they give the name of Chan- 
dra, and whom their poets describe as sitting 
in a splendid chariot, drawn by two ante- 
iopes, and holding in the right hand a rab- 
bit. Fountains are by them dedicated to 
this Divinity. 

What other imaginary Deities do the 
Hindus worship ? 

Rama, an incarnate Deity ; an appearance 
on earth of the preserving power, or Vishnu, 
in the person of the sovereign of Ayodhya, a 
conqueror of high renown ; who delivered 
his wife Sita from the giant Ravan, king of 
Lanca. He is said to have commanded an 
intrepid army of monkeys, by whose agility 



142 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



j)e raised a bridge of rocks on the sea ; a 
portion of which, the Hindus assert to be yet 
in existence; alluding, probably, to the rocks 
between Ceylon and the western peninsula of 
India, which have been absurdly named 
Adam's bridge. A large breed of Apes is, 
certainly, held in great veneration by the 
Hindus, and fed by the Brahmins, who have 
a regular establishment for their support, on 
the banks of the Ganges. These apes live in 
tribes of three or four hundred together, 
with wonderful order and subordination 
and are very gentle animals. 

Creeshna, or Chrishna, a manifestation of 
Vishnu. He is regarded by the Hindus, as 
the God of shepherds; of whose nature and 
actions, their sacred writings give the most, 
extraordinary and strange representations. 
He is depicted as splendidly decorated, wear- 
ing a rich garland of wild flowers, and having 
his ankles adorned with strings of pearls. 
His complexion is dark blue, approaching 
to black, and hence, the large bee of that 
colour is often drawn fluttering over his head. 
His character and attributes greatly resemble 
those of the Grecian Apollo. 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY, 



What are the Avatars ? 

The Avatars are successive manifestations 
of Vishnu, or the preserving power, supposed 
to have been made in various forms, to answer 
benevolent purposes. Of this number, were 
llama, Chrishnu, and Buddha, who was 
the ninth incarnation of Vishnu, imagined to 
have taken place a thousand years before our 
Lord Jesus Christ, in order to put an end to 
public and national human sacrifices, and to 
appoint in their place, the innocent oblation 
of fruits, flowers, and incense. 

All the Avatars are painted with coronets 
of gems ; jewels in their ears ; necklaces ; 
garlands of flowers hanging down below their 
waists ; loose mantles of golden tissue, or 
coloured silk, with embroidered hems. In 
their hands are placed the sacred shell; 
elliptical rings, and maces, or battle-axes. 

What are the Hindu sacrifices ? 

In ancient times, not only sacrifices of 
beasts were common amongst the Hindus, 
but even of human beings. Vestiges of this 
sanguinary superstition are still evident, in 
frequent instances of voluntary suicide ; and 
in the shocking practice of women burning 



144 INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



themselves with their deceased husbands, 
which is yet encouraged by the Brahmins, 
and which civil authority has not been able 
effectually to check. 

The Vedas themselves enjoin upon some 
particular occasions, the sacrifice of a man ; 
which is called Neramedha; or of a bull, 
svhich is named Gomedha; or of a horse, 
Tvhich is styled Aswamedha. The Aswamedha 
Jug, or horse sacrifice, required the animal 
to be white, with its right ear black; and 
Was performed only by powerful sovereigns 
previous to their entering upon some hazard- 
ous war. It was imagined that whosoever 
could celebrate this sacrifical rite, one hut* 
dred times, would thereby obtain power 
equal to that of Indra, and gain possession 
of the Swerga his delicious abode. The 
Ayeen Akbery mentions five kinds of meri- 
torious suicide, for the choice of the voluntary 
victim ; namely, starving, burning with dried 
cow-dung, burying in snow, devouring by 
alligators whilst in the act of prayer and con- 
fession of sins in the Ganges; cutting the 
throat at Allahabad, at the confluence of the 
Ganges and the Jumna. 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



145 



Which are the principal Hindu temples ? 

Those of the highest antiquity, are the 
subterranean temples at Salsette, and in the 
small isle of Elephanta near Bombay, which 
is thus denominated from the figure of a 
large elephant admirably well cut in the solid 
rock, of which the island is composed. 

This astonishing cavern, which, as con- 
taining an assemblage of all the deified heroes 
and princes of India, may be called the 
Hindu Pantheon, is about half way up the 
steep side of the mountain, from whose stony 
bosom, it is excavated. The temple is abouc 
one hundred and twenty feet square, and 
eighteen feet high. The enormous mass oi 
solid rock which forms its roof, is supported 
by four rows of pillars, of beautiful propor- 
tion and finely fluted. Over these columns, 
runs a ridge of stone, so cut, as to resemble 
a huge beam, which is richly adorned with 
carved work. Along the sides of the cavern, 
are ranged between forty and fifty statues, 
each, twelve, or fifteen feet in height; of 
exact symmetry ; but though round and pro- 
minent, yet not one of them is detached from 
the main rock. Some of these statues wear 



146 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



a kind of helmet ; others, crowns richly orna- 
mented with gems, whilst others display only 
large bushy ringlets of curled or flowing hair. 
Many of them have four hands, and many 
six ; grasping sceptres and shields ; symbols 
of justice and religion; or warlike weapons. 
Amongst them, are conspicuous, the triform 
representation of Brahme, and the frightful 
image of Seeva. The principal Hindu temples 
of more modern date, are those of Jaggernaut, 
Benares, Mattra, Tripetty, and Seringham. 
The Indian Pagodas, in general, are com- 
monly erected near the banks of the Ganges, 
the Kistna, or some other sacred river, for 
the benefit of ablution in the purifying stream. 
At the entrance of all the most considerable 
of them, is a portico, supported by rows of 
lofty columns, with handsome flights of stone 
steps. Under these porticoes, multitudes 
assemble, at the rising of the sun, and hav- 
ing bathed in the stream below, await the 
opening of the gates, which universally front 
the east, to admit the first solar ray. Of 
these temples, that of Jaggernaut is the most 
celebrated. It is an immense circular build- 
ing, from the centre of which, in an eastern 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 147 

aspect, is protruded, the vast image of a bull, 
one of the emblems of Seeva, for whom Jag- 
gernaut is only another name. Here, are 
practised the most abominable and cruel 
rites. The horrible idol is paraded in a lofty 
and heavy car which is disgraced by shame- 
fully indecent figures; and many of the 
deluded miserable wretches, who make long 
pilgrimages to the detestable Jaggernaut* 
throw themselves on the ground, to be crushed 
beneath the ponderous wheels. This is the 
residence of the chief Brahmin of all India. 
The image of Jaggernaut stands in the centre 
of the pagoda, upon an elevated altar, encom- 
passed with iron rails, under a magnificent 
dome. So vast was the number of pilgrims, 
who resorted to the Jaggernaut, that the 
average annual amount of a tax of half-a- 
crown on each one of them, exacted by a 
Mahommedan prince of the country, was 
750,000/.; and 8000Z6. weight of provisions, 
were daily prepared for the use of the priests 
and the pilgrims. The priests of the temple 
of Seringham, with their families, composing 
a multitude of not less than 40,000 persons, 
were maintained by the liberality of the pil- 
o 2 



us 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



grims frequenting its celebrated shrine. The 
idol images in these temples, are generally 
of the most monstrous forms that imagination 
can picture. Some have numerous heads 
and arms, the rude symbols of super-human 
wisdom and gigantic power. Some have 
large horns branching from their heads ; and 
others huge tusks, protruding from extended 
open mouths. Numbers of sacred hierogly- 
phical animals are sculptured on the walls, 
The bull of Seeva ; the eagle of Vishnu ; the 
elephant of Ganesa ; the ram ; the ape ; the 
rhinoceros, are blended together in groups. 

What are the Castes which exist amongst 
the Hindus ? 

The Castes are hereditary, immutable 
divisions of the people, established in the 
earliest times, by their sacred laws. Of these 
there are four ; that of the priests or Brah- 
mins; that of the military ; that of the agri- 
cultures and traders ; and that of the 
labourers and artisans. These are as much 
separated, and have as little mutual commu- 
nication, as persons of a different nation, or 
a different species. They cannot intermarry, 
nor join in any common occupations, nor 



INDIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



149 



remove from one Caste to another. Those 
of the superior Castes regard those of the 
inferior with the utmost contempt, and con- 
sider themselves as polluted by their approach. 
Even the lowest Hindus refuse to eat with 
strangers of any class whatsoever. The loss 
of Caste degrades a Hindu to a most miser- 
able condition ; cuts him off from all society, 
and causes him to be regarded as an impure 
and detestable animal. The Brahmin Caste 
holds all the others in the most humiliating 
bonds. The Brahmins abstain entirely from 
animal food and fermented liquors ; and the 
other Castes exercise an uncommon degree 
of temperance and self-denial. The absti- 
nence from animal food is occasioned by 
their belief in the doctrine of the Metempsy- 
chosis, or transmigration of souls through 
various bodies. The Sanscrit, or sacred 
language, in which their books of religion 
are written, has long ceased to be a spoken 
tongue ; and is understood only by the priests 
and the learned. 

Does not the Hindu religion abound in 
gross superstitions ? 

The Hindus pay religious worship to the 
o 3 



150 EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

Ox, the Cow, and many other animals; to 
the Ganges, and other rivers, which they 
account sacred. They believe that Vishnu, 
who has already been incarnate nine times, 
in different forms, will appear once more in 
the figure of a horse, in order to put an 
end to all things here. They are taught to 
practise most cruel, absurd, and impure 
rites ; and that it is meritorious to inflict on 
themselves severe penances ; such as wearing 
an iron collar, set with spikes, about the 
neck; dragging constantly along a heavy 
weight ; remaining for a longtime in the most 
painful positions of body ; drowning them- 
selves in the Ganges, or exposing themselves, 
in its holy waters, to be devoured by tigers 
or alligators. 



CHAP. V. 

EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

What was the nature of the Egyptian 
Mythology ? 



EGYPTIAN 



MYTHOLOGY. 



151 



The ancient Egyptian Mythology, before 
it was debased and corrupted, appears to 
have taught the doctrine of God's being the 
soul which animates all nature ; not extrinsic, 
or external to, and separate from, the world, 
but embodied in it, as the human soul is sup- 
posed to be in the human body. From this 
Universal Soul, it was imagined that all the 
gods and demi-gods, as well as the souls 
of men and inferior animals, and even of 
plants, were emanations. Thence, the wor- 
ship of the Egyptians was directed towards 
material objects, or the departments and 
powers of nature. They considered every 
part of the visible universe as endowed with 
inherent life, energy, and intelligence. 

They worshiped the intelligent and active 
cause of the phenomena of nature, as it is 
displayed in its most striking and powerful 
agencies, but without clearly distinguishing 
the cause from the effect; or they believed 
that the elements themselves were animated. 
The operations of nature described in mys- 
tical and poetical language were, probably, 
mistaken by the unthinking multitude for 



152 EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



real adventures of gods or daemons, or other 
superhuman beings. Barbarous nations have 
ever regarded storms, winds, and the moving 
bodies in the heavens, as animated and guided 
by genii ; and the same superstition, orna- 
mented, and reduced to a system of sym- 
bolical representations, appears to have been 
the popular religion of the most civilized 
nations of antiquity. But though it is most 
probable that the Egyptians, like almost all 
other people, at first held the belief of one 
Supreme Deity, the Creator of all things, yet 
they lapsed into idolatry so early, that the 
Greeks acknowledged their having borrowed 
from them, not only their religious ceremo- 
nies, but, also, most of their gods. 

The inhabitants of the Thebais, in Upper 
Egypt, were said to have worshiped the im- 
mortal, uncreated God alone, whom they 
called Cneph ; for which reason they were 
exempted from contributing to the mainte- 
nance of the sacred animals, adored in Lower 
Egypt. 

What were the objects of worship to the 
Egyptians ? 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



153 



The Sun and Moon appear to have been 
the chief objects of Egyptian worship, under 
various forms and names. 

The Egyptians had several methods of 
representing, by symbols, the progress of the 
sun, and the changes of the seasons. They 
depicted the sun under the emblem of a new- 
born infant, at the winter solstice, and as 
passing, daring the year, through all the 
stages of life, until towards the return of 
winter, he became old and weak. Sometimes 
a figure with painted wings denoted the sun ; 
and the wings were of different colours, ac- 
cording as the emblem represented that 
luminary in the upper or the lower half of the 
Zodiac. While in the upper hemisphere, he 
had wings of a brilliant hue ; but in the win- 
try months, he was painted with pinions of 
dark -blue. 

The Crocodile, the Cow, the Dog, the Ox, 
the Ibis, the Cat, and other animals, and even 
some inanimate substances, which were used, 
at first, as hieroglyphics, finally came to be 
objects of adoration among that superstitious 
race. Thus the goddess Bubastis, supposed 



154 EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

to be a personification of the moon, was wor- 
shiped under the figure of a cat, and all the 
cats that died in Egypt were salted, for pre- 
servation, and buried at Bubastos. The cat 
was honoured by the Egyptians with a pe- 
culiar reference to the moon, with the changes 
of whose aspect that animal was supposed to 
have a certain mysterious sympathy. 

Such was the religion of the vulgar ; but 
the learned had better knowledge, and sounder 
philosophy, which they communicated to 
those who were initiated into the sacred mys- 
teries. It is universally agreed, that the 
ancient Egyptians believed the human soul 
to be immortal. They admitted likewise the 
doctrine of the transmigration, or passage of 
souls successively through various bodies. 
The bodies of their deified mortals were pre- 
served, by embalming, in their sepulchres ; 
while their souls were imagined to be trans- 
ferred to, and to shine forth in, different 
stars. 

Who were the principal Deities of the 
Egyptian religion ? 

Osiris, Isis, Horus, Typhon, Serapis, Anu- 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



bis, Harpocrates, with several others, known 
as Grecian Deities ; as Amnion, the Egyptian 
Jupiter ; the Egyptian Hercules, or Sem 
Mendes, the Egyptian Pan ; Papremis, the 
Egyptian Mars ; Thoth, the Egyptian Mer- 
cury, Tithrambo, Eilethyia, Nepthys, or 
Venus, Urania, and Buto, or Latona. 
Who was Osiris ? 

Osiris, the great object of the adoration 
of the Egyptians, was sometimes regarded as 
a deification of some illustrious prince in a 
very early age of the world ; but was gene- 
rally considered to be a personification of the 
sun. He was the supposed author of all good, 
in constant opposition to Typhon, the author 
of evil ; by whom he was, at one time, van- 
quished and slain, or inclosed in an ark, and 
exposed to the waves. This ark was said to 
have drifted on the coast of Phenicia, and 
Osiris to have been restored to life and 
liberty. The Egyptians annually commemo- 
rated this event by committing to the waters 
an image of this deity, in a vessel formed of 
the papyrus plant, and which they imagined 
to be wafted to Byblos by supernatural influ- 



156 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



ence. For a season, they bewailed the God 
as lost or dead ; and when he was thought to 
be found, or re-animated, they poured forth 
extravagant bursts of joy. The historical 
fact appears to be, that Osiris was an illustri- 
ous and beneficent monarch of ancient 
Egypt, who was slain by the treachery of 
Typhon his wicked brother ; but whose 
death was avenged by Horus, his son, and 
Isis his consort. Some writers imagine 
Osiris to have been the Israelitish Patriarch 
Joseph ; and others regard him as Moses. 
Some assert that he was a king more ancient 
than either of them ; while others say that 
he was Misraim, son of Ham. Osiris was 
represented under different forms ; sometimes 
under the figure of a man sailing in a ship 
on the ocean, which was supported by a 
crocodile; or floating on the aquatic lotos. 
Sometimes he was depicted by a serpent, and 
an eye, to express his power and providence. 
Frequently he was seen in the appearance of 
a hawk, significative of his piercing sight 
find rapidity of motion. But the greatest 
adoration was paid to his living image, the 
ox, Apis. 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



Who was Isis ? 

Isis, the consort of Osiris, appears to have 
been an emblem of the moon. She was 
esteemed as the cause of abundance, and 
regarded, like Osiris, to be one of the sources 
of the inundation of the Nile. The cow was 
her symbol. Her image w r as usually in the 
form of a woman, with cows' horns on her 
head; representing the appearance of the 
moon, in her increase and decrease; and 
holding, in her right hand, the sistrum (a 
kind of cymbal), and in her left, an urn ; the 
former, significative of the perpetual motion 
which prevails in nature ; the latter, of the 
fertilising effects of the Nile. She was 
esteemed to possess great knowledge of the 
secrets of nature, and uncommon skill in the 
science of medicine. Temples were erected 
to her honour, and festivals held in her 
praise ; some of which were very absurd, 
and even indecent. Prayers were addressed 
to her for the cure of distempers, and she was 
imagined to indicate remedies in dreams. 
She was said to have been translated into tha 
moon, and to be the general mother. 



158 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



Who were Typhon and Nepthys ? 

Typhon and Nepthys stand opposed to 
Osiris and Isis, in all respects. As all fertile 
regions and prolific causes were supposed to 
belong to Osiris and Isis ; so all barren and 
unproductive elements were assigned to Ty- 
phon, and Nepthys, his consort, the sister of 
Isis. When Osiris was the fertilizing Nile, 
Typhon was the sterile sea which swallows 
up the river. Hence, the sea was held in 
abomination by the Egyptians. When Osi- 
ris was water or moisture in general, Typhon 
was heat or drought. As the land of Egypt, 
fertilized by the waters of the Nile, was the 
reign of Isis ; so the desert, which lies beyond 
the genial influence of that river, was the 
unfruitful Nepthys. When those arid tracts 
were watered and rendered productive by 
some unusual extent of the annual inundation, 
then Osiris was said to leave his garland of 
melilotus in the bed of Nepthys ; and this 
extraordinary operation of nature was re- 
corded by the Egyptians in allegorical lan- 
guage. When Osiris was recognized in the 
northern or Etesian wind, which, in Upper 
Egypt, is very salubrious, the southern blast 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



159 



from the desert, that burns up and destroys 
every thing which has life, was imputed to 
Typhon; whence comes its appellation of 
Tyfoon. 

When Osiris was the light and heat of the 
sun, Typhon was the darkness and cold of 
winter. 

Every thing of a malignant nature, either 
in the vegetable, animal, or intellectual world, 
was regarded in the Egyptian mythology as 
the operation of Typhon. Hence all those 
animals whose aspect is hideous, and whose 
disposition is fierce and untameable, were 
sacred to Typhon ; such as the crocodile, the 
hippopotamus, and others. The Typhonian 
animals were symbols of darkness and de- 
struction. 

Typhon was depicted as a tremendous 
monster of terrific bulk, having several heads, 
and wings on his shoulders ; and his thighs 
terminating in the volumes of two enormous 
serpents. Having inclosed Osiris in an ark, 
he drove Horus, his son, into the floating 
island Chemmis ; and compelled all the other 
deities to take refuge under the forms of 
various animals, which were afterwards 
p 2 



160 EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



esteemed sacred on that account. At last, 
he was overwhelmed, thunder-stricken, under 
Mount Etna, or in a cavern in Cilicia. Nep- 
thys was called by the Greeks Aphrodite, or 
Venus. A white cow was the sacred animal, 
or living symbol of this goddess, the divinity 
of the nightly heavens. 
Who was Horus ? 

Horus was the son of Osiris and Isis, and 
held in great veneration by the Egyptians. 
He was regarded as being the renovator 
and preserver of nature, who overcame, for a 
time, though he could not actually destroy, 
Typhon ; and who restored the dominion of 
Osiris. 

This Egyptian god bore some relation to 
the sun, as well as Osiris. The Greeks 
identified him with their Apollo; and the 
books of Hermes ascribed to him the office of 
presiding over the star of day, of guiding its 
movements, and, consequently, of regulating 
the times and seasons. Light was considered 
to be one of his attributes; and obelisks, as 
emblems of the solar rays, were dedicated to 
him. When his father was vanquished by 
Typhon, aided by Isis his mother, Horus 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



161 



revenged his death, expelled the usurper, and 
reigned gloriously over all Egypt. The Ti- 
tans put Horus to death ; but Isis, who pos- 
sessed the greatest skill in the science of 
medicine, and knew its profoundest secrets, 
finding his body in the Nile, restored her son 
to life, and rendered him immortal. His 
statues represent him as a child. 

The allegory of Horus has been thus ex- 
plained: — The Khamsin wind makes great 
ravages in Egypt, during the spring of the 
year, raising w T hirlwinds of burning sand, 
which darken the air, obscure the face of the 
sun, and frequently suffocate travellers. This 
circumstance was described by the death of 
Osiris, and the triumph of Typhon. When 
the sun approaches the sign Leo, he changes 
the state of the atmosphere, disperses those 
dangerous tempests, and brings the northern 
winds, that chase away the malignant vapours, 
and preserve to Egypt coolness and salubrity, 
under a burning sky. This is the victory 
of Horus over Typhon, and his illustrious 
reign. 

Who was Anubis ? 

Anubis ; was the constant companion and 
p 3 



162 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



precursor of Osiris and Isis j the harbinger of 
those deities, the opener or beginner of all 
their operations. Anubis was greatly vener- 
ated by the Egyptians in general, but chiefly 
in the city Cynopolis. The statue of this 
god had the head of a dog: dogs were ac- 
counted sacred to him ; and where his worship 
principally prevailed, these animals were fed 
in the temples, at the public charge. He was 
probably emblematical of Sirius, the dog star; 
and was supposed to give warning of the 
approach of the inundation of the Nile, as a 
dog awakens vigilance by his barking. In 
the festivals of the gods, his image was the 
leader of the pompous processions; and he 
had the office of conducting the souls of the 
dead to their place of destination. 

Who was Sarapis, or Sorapis, or Serapis ? 

The solar Osiris, after he was overcome by 
Typhon, the power of darkness, and shorn of 
his beams, became Serapis. Serapis was 
considered, likewise, as a personification of 
the Nile. He was also the Pluto of the 
Egyptians, and, at the same time, corresponded 
to the Grecian Esculapius, whose rites were 
borrowed from those of Serapis; to whom, 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



165 



too, the same animals were appropriated, 
the serpent and the cock. Some writers have 
supposed that this deity was known and 
reverenced in Egypt, in very early periods ; 
and that he was the same with the ox. 
Apis, whom, when alive, the Egyptians 
venerated as the personification of their great 
god Osiris, but who, when dead, was named 
Sorapis, or Serapis ; that is, Apis in his 
soros, or coffin. Others have maintained 
that Serapis was not originally an Egyptian 
divinity, but brought into that country 
from Sinope, by Ptolemy Lagus, directed so 
to do, by a divine vision. 

His image was erected in a temple, built 
for that purpose at Alexandria, and called 
the Serapeum. It is said to have exceeded 
in magnificence, all the other temples of that 
age, excepting that of the capitol at Rome. 
This edifice was, long afterwards, destroyed 
by order of the Emperor Theodosius. The 
celebrated statue of the god was broken to 
pieces, and its limbs borne in triumph 
through the city, by the Christians, and then 
thrown into a fire kindled in the amphi- 
theatre. This image was of the human form, 



164 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



bearing a basket on its head, emblematic 
of plenty. The right hand leaned upon the 
head of a serpent, whose body was coiled 
round a figure with the heads of a dog, a 
lion, and a wolf. In the left hand was a 
cubit measure, intended to sound the depth 
of the water of the Nile. Till the period of 
the introduction of Serapis, the Egyptians 
never offered animal victims to their gods, 
but worshiped them only with prayers and 
frankincense. By the example of Ptolemy, 
and his court, this deity became so great a 
favourite with the Egyptians, as to make 
them almost forget their ancient gods. The 
provinces vied with one another in erecting 
temples to him, and burning incense upon 
his altars. 

Who was Harpocrates ? 

Harpocrates, a son of Isis, was considered 
as the god of silence, meditation, and mys- 
tery. He was likewise regarded as a type 
of the annual rise of the sun after passing the 
winter solstice, when his beams are as yet weak, 
and the day has but a short duration. He 
represented also that power in nature which 
fosters the opening of buds, and the springing 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



165 



up of tender and esculent plants. There 
were no animals sacred to him, as to the other 
Egyptian deities ; but the first-fruits of legu- 
minous plants and the opening blossoms of the 
peach-tree were sacrificed to him. The figure 
under which Harpocrates was usually repre- 
sented, was that of a naked boy crowned with 
an Egyptian mitre, having his finger placed 
upon his lips, and sitting on the flower of the 
lotus expanding itself on the surface of the 
water. 

Who was Amnion, or Ammoun ? 

Amnion was the Egyptian Jupiter. He 
w r as worshiped in the Theban Nome, or king- 
dom, the capital of which was, on that 
account, called by the Greeks, Diospolis, that 
is, the City of Jupiter. The worship of this 
deity was introduced from Egypt into Greece. 
The statue of the Theban Jupiter was carried 
up the Nile into Ethiopia, with a splendid 
procession, every year, or to his temple at 
Meroe. There he was received with great 
pomp, and reconducted to Egypt, after he 
had been exhibited at the annual festival of 
the Ethiopians, or Meroites. Amnion is sup- 
posed to have represented the Spirit of the 



166 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



universe, which was conceived to be invisible 
in its nature ; but, like other objects of Egyp- 
tian superstition, to be subject to the power 
of incantation, and to present itself sometimes 
in a defined shape to the eyes of the magician. 
The Egyptian philosophers reckoned five ele- 
ments, adding to the four usually enumerated 
one, which they termed Spirit, which was the 
same as the celestial ether of the Greeks, sup- 
posed to fill the highest region of the heavens. 
Hence, a quickening influence was imagined, 
by the Egyptians, to be derived into all ani- 
mated creatures. This vital ether, or princi- 
ple of life, was called Ammon, or Jupiter. 
Who was Sem ? 

Sem was the Egyptian Hercules, and one 
of the twelve native deities. His attribute was 
strength or power, and more particularly the 
power of gravitation. He was addressed as 
the starry-robed Sem, the king of fire, who 
setteth in array the universe, who revolveth 
circle after circle. As Jupiter Ammon denoted 
the vital force that moves and enlivens animal 
bodies ; so, by Sem, or Hercules, the Egyp- 
tians expressed that power which arranges and 
distributes the parts of inanimate nature. 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 167 



which actuates and directs the movements of 
those great masses which raise the idea of 
prodigious strength, by their motion. 

Who was the Egyptian Pan ? 

Mendes, or Pan, was one of the eight gods 
who constituted the first, or most ancient, 
rank of the Egyptian deities. He was wor- 
shiped under the form of a goat 5 and great 
abominations degraded his rites. 

Who was Papremis ? 

Papremis was the Egyptian Mars, worship- 
ed under the figure of the hippopotamus ; 
which animal was supposed to denote the 
western quarter of the heavens, and was 
represented as gaping upwards, and receiving 
into his jaws the descending sun. Papremis 
seems to have been a form of Typhon, the 
genius of destruction. The hippopotamus, 
the huge behemoth, was an apt image of the 
god of war. From the time of Job, the hip- 
popotamus has been a type of strength and 
impetuosity. 

Who was Thoth? 

An Egyptian god, whom the Greek and 
Latin writers uniformly named Hermes, or 
Mercury. To this Hermes, or Theuth, or 



168 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



Thoth, all the science and learning of the 
Egyptians were attributed. He taught them 
the art of writing, gave them laws, and in- 
structed them in astronomy, geometry, medi- 
cine, and other sciences. Hence the books 
composed by the priests on such subjects^ 
were called Hermetic books, as being conse- 
crated to Hermes, and supposed to be the 
effect of his inspiration. Like other Egyptian 
deities, Thoth had a sacred animal appropri- 
ated to him, whose figure was connected with 
his particular rites. The animal consecrated 
to Thoth was the Ibis, a bird of which pro- 
digious numbers have been found embalmed 
in mummy pits ; and which, when seen sitting 
with the neck bent forwards, and the head 
concealed under the wing, resembled the form 
of the heart. The Ibis was, therefore, the 
emblem by which the Egyptians represented 
the heart; and as they, in common with many 
other ancient nations, regarded that part of 
the body as the seat of intellect, they devoted 
that bird to Thoth, the personification of 
wisdom and intelligence. 

Is there any other account given of the 
Egyptian Mercury? 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



169 



Yes. Some writers assert that two sages» 
of the name of Hermes, or Mercury, lived 
at the interval of an age from each other 
The first of these existed in the earliest: 
period of Egyptian history, when the 
country was divided into several govern- 
ments, each having its own monarch. At 
ihat time Egypt had no foreign com- 
merce, but confined her attention to agricul- 
ture, and the pastoral life. Her shepherds 
were true heroes ; her kings, philosophers. 

In the midst of a brilliant constellation of 
learned and virtuous men, the first Hermes 
shone with peculiar lustre ; he penetrated 
into the profoundest depths of natural his- 
tory and theology; and invented, or com- 
piled, their system of Mythology. In the 
second age of Egyptian history, when the 
shepherd kings, from Asia, had inundated 
the country with their barbarous multitudes, 
and totally changed the face of things, with 
respect to customs, manners, and taste, and 
had introduced gross idolatry, the second 
Hermes, surnamed Trismegistus, arose. He 
was the restorer of the ancient religion, and 
of the laws and sciences of the preceding 

S 



170 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



Mercury, collecting them into forty-two 
volumes, which were called, " The Treasure 
of Remedies for the Soul." 

Trismegistus designated the virtues and 
the emotions of the soul, by the figures of 
animals, of insects, of plants, of stars, and 
many other symbolical characters; conceal- 
ing the mysteries of religion under hierogly- 
phics and allegories, whence arose the figures 
of cows, of oxen, dogs, cats, crocodiles, and 
smaller reptiles, reverenced by the Egyptians, 
and which are, now, found engraven on their 
ancient obelisks and temple walls. 

Who was Eilethyia ? 

The same as the Grecian Lucina. To her 
was dedicated a city in the Thebaid, called 
after her name. She was ranked among the 
ancient or elder divinities. Every third day, 
in each lunation, was consecrated to her; and 
her images had the form of a female vulture, 
with the wings spread, and composed of 
precious stones. 

Who was Tithrambo? 

Tithrambo, or Brimo, was Isis in the vin- 
dictive character; and corresponded to the 
Grecian Proserpine, Hecate, Erinnys, the 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



171 



punisher of guilt, the mistress of the furies. 
This goddess was supposed to inflict various 
diseases upon those who incurred her anger ; 
such as madness, and particularly blindness. 

Who was Bouto, or Buto ? 

Bouto was another goddess worshiped by 
the Egyptians, and called by the Greeks 
Latona. At Boutos, near the Sebennytic 
mouth of the Nile, was a celebrated temple 
dedicated to this divinity. It was a magnifi- 
cent edifice, having porticoes forty cubits high. 
The shrine of the goddess was of one solid 
stone, having equal sides, each forty cubits in 
length. Bouto appears to have been the per- 
sonification of night and darkness. Her sacred 
animal was the Mygale, or shrew-mouse. 
This animal was reverenced by the Egyptians, 
on account of its supposed blindness, an em- 
blem of primeval night or darkness. 

What were the principal objects of Egyp- 
tian worship, in the animal, the vegetable, and 
the mineral kingdoms ? 

The objects of worship to the Egyptians 
were, in the animal kingdom,— 

Of quadrupeds, — the Ox, the Dog, the 
Gat, the Wolf, the Ram, the Goat, the Deer ? 
2 2 



172 EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

the "-.Monkey,, the Ichneumon, the Shrew- 
mouse, the Lion, and the Hippopotamus ; 

Of birds, — the Hawk, the Crow, the Vul- 
ture, the Eagle, the Ibis, the Goose, and the 
fabulous Phoenix ; 

Of reptiles, — the Crocodile, and serpents 
of various kinds ; 

Of insects, — the Scarabseus, or Beetle ; 

Of fishes,— those which bore the names of 
Oxyrhynchus, Lepidotus, Phagri, and Maeo- 
tse : these fishes were considered as prophetic 
messengers of the annual approach of the in- 
undation of the Nile. 

In the vegetable kingdom, — the Lotus, 
that species of which, named Nymphaea Ne~ 
lumbo, was imagined, by the Egyptians, to be 
symbolical of the sun rising from the bosom of 
the ocean, because it throws its flower above 
the surface of the water. The infant Harpo- 
crates is represented reposing on the blossom 
of this plant. The Peach-tree, Lentils of 
various sorts, the Onion, the Leek, the Acacia, 
the Heliotrope, the Laurel, were all regarded 
as sacred by that superstitious people. 

It appears, likewise, that, even in certain 
minerals, the Egyptians fancied there existed 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 173 

relations to the attributes of their gods. 
Among* these are mentioned, solar and lunar 
stones, and the selenite, which was conceived 
to imitate the phases of the moon. These fan- 
cied analogies, and the mystical powers which 
were supposed to result from them, appear to 
have given rise, in a later period, to the doc- 
trine of talismans, so celebrated among the 
Arabians first, and afterwards among the 
Europeans. 

Did not the Egyptians pay most extrava- 
gant respect to some of their sacred 
animals ? 

The people of Ombos dug tanks, or great 
cisterns of water, for the crocodiles ; fed them 
carefully, and taught them to obey a parti- 
cular call. The worshipers of these terrible 
animals were so infatuated that mothers re- 
joiced when their children were devoured by 
them, believing that great honour was con- 
ferred upon them by those consecrated crea- 
tures, when they condescended to take their 
offspring as food. The asp was supposed to 
be commissioned by the goddess Isis, as a 
minister of her vengeance, to destroy the 
impious. For these venemous reptiles sub- 

Q $ 



174? EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

terranean chambers were prepared, under 
many of the temples, in which they were fed 
with the fat of oxen. Another kind of serpent 
was preserved in a tower, and the priests, 
every day, placed cakes in its chamber. 

It is related that a labourer employed in 
digging a trench in a vineyard, accidentally 
cut an asp in two, by a blow of his spade, 
and was so terrified by the horrible impiety 
which he imagined that he had committed by 
this involuntary act, that he became frantic, 
and ran hither and thither, imploring succour, 
fancying himself pursued by the angry reptile- 
god. 

The Bull, Apis, was worshiped and guard- 
ed with peculiar reverence. He was, proba- 
bly, regarded as a personification of Osiris, 
the tutelar genius of the Nile, and an image 
of the soul of that deity. Apis was venerated 
not as a symbol only, but as an incarnation 
of some daemon or spiritual being ; for when 
one sacred bull died, and another was sub- 
stituted, the people imagined that they still 
adored the same being, who had only under- 
gone a new transmigration. He was a black 
bull, having a white star on the forehead, the 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



175 



figure of an eagle on his back, and a crescent 
on his right side. The imagined offspring of 
the celestial elements, of a flash of lightning, 
or of a moon-beam, he lived twenty-five years; 
at the end of which period, it was asserted, 
he voluntarily divested himself of mortal life, 
by plunging into the Nile. 

The discovery of a new Apis, considered 
as the revivification of the preceding deity, was 
celebrated by a joyous festival, called Theo- 
phania, which continued seven days. The 
renewed god was fed, during four months, 
with milk, in a house which fronted the rising 
sun. He was then conveyed to Memphis, 
where a delightful abode, ample space for 
exercise, and suitable companions, were pro- 
vided for him. The man from whose herd 
the divine animal sprang was regarded as the 
happiest of mortals, and was an object of re- 
spect and envy. 

Among the Egyptians it was a capital crime 
to kill any of the sacred animals; but if an 
ibis, or a hawk, were destroyed accidentally, 
the unfortunate author of the deed was put 
to death by the multitude, without form of 
iaw. When a house happened to be set on 



176 



EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



fire, the cliief alarm of the Egyptians arose 
from the propensity of the cats to rush into 
the flames; and if this circumstance happened, 
it excited a general lamentation. Upon the 
death of a cat, every inmate of the house in 
which the event took place cut off his eye- 
brows ; but to celebrate the funeral of a dog, 
the whole head was shaved. In the extremity 
of famine, when they were driven by hunger 
almost to devour one another, the Egyptians 
were never accused of slaughtering the sacred 
annuals. 



CHAP. VI. 

PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

What were the principal characteristics of 
the Persian Mythology? 

The Persian religion appears to have 
been founded chiefly upon the doctrine of 
the two principles of good and evil, per- 
petually at variance with each other. Ormuzd, 
or Oromazes, was the name given to the 
personification of the benevolent principle, 
whence' proceeded all good; and Ahriman, 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



177 



or Arimanius, was the denomination assigned 
to the malevolent principle, 

The uncorrupted religion of the ancient 
Persians was greatly superior to all the other 
Oriental systems, in sublimity 5 in its near 
approach to true religion, and in its moral 
tendency. 

It is represented by some as inculcating 
" a firm belief that one Supreme God made 
the world by his power, and continually 
governed it by his providence ; a pious fear, 
love, and adoration of him ; a due reverence 
for parents and aged persons: a paternal 
affection for the whole human species ; and 
a compassionate tenderness even for the brute 
creation." 

It did not consecrate the horrible symbols 
of destruction, of death, of licentiousness ; but 
the most beautiful and beneficial of elements, 
fire and the solar light ; and, above all, the 
energy of life, and of the soul. 

Seven Genii of the elements and chief 
powers of nature, called Amshaspands, were 
represented by the Persian mythology, as 
standing round the throne of the Universal 



178 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



Ruler ; the noblest and first among his 
subjects. 

Heaven was depicted as filled by the sacred 
Feruers, or divine prototypes and ideas of all 
created things. 

The star of day, Mithras, or the friend of 
mankind, stood as the Mediator between 
them and the Deity. 

Animal sacrifices were abolished by that 
religion ; and simple vegetable, or other offer- 
ings, indicated a secret intercourse with the 
Creator, through the medium of the fairest 
■productions of the earth. The elements were 
not the only immediate and sensible objects 
of worship to the votaries of this religion. 
Heroes also received their veneration, not as 
fierce conquerors and destroyers, and as such 
ranked among the destructive agents of 
nature ; but as sent from heaven to vanquish 
ferocious giants, the powers of darkness, and 
malevolent spirits. 

A reign of unchanging bliss, realms of 
ever-beaming light, were taught by this sys- 
tem, as well as a scene of primitive blessed- 
ness and perfection. v The sacred fire, which 
was reverenced as the emblem of the great 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



179 



First Cause, the All-vivifying Principle, 
kindled by concentrated sunbeams, was pre- 
served with the greatest care. 

The priests who had the charge of this 
fire ; of conducting the simple religious rites, 
and of giving moral and philosophical instruc- 
tion, were named Magi, and were justly held 
in high estimation. But this comparatively 
pure religion did not remain a long time un- 
corrupted ; it soon degenerated into Sabism, 
the adoration of the sun, moon, and other 
celestial bodies. Temples were dedicated to 
them ; images of them were formed, and mag- 
nificent festivals were instituted to their 
honour. - 

Mahabad, one of fourteen beings of that 
name destined to appear in human shape, for 
the government of the world, was supposed 
to have received from the Supreme a sacred 
book in a heavenly language. Cayumers, 
the reputed great-grandson of Noah, pro- 
duced a partial reformation. The compli- 
cated system of Polytheism was rejected ; but 
the regulations of Mahabad were retained, 
with a superstitious veneration for the sun, 
the planets, and fire. 



180 PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

The Persian Mythology was finally restored, 
in some degree, to its primitive simplicity, by 
Zeratush, or Zoroaster, who visited India to 
receive instruction from the Brahmins. 

What was the Mythology of the Persian 
religion, as reformed by Zoroaster ; and what 
was the name of his sacred book ? 

The book containing the Persian Mytho- 
logy, as reformed and arranged by Zoroaster, 
was called the Zend-Avesta, and is till extant. 
The Zend-Avesta divides the period of the 
work of creation into six intervals. It asserts 
that in the sixth of these, man alone was 
created ; and that he mysteriously consisted 
of two characters, or persons, distinguished 
from each other, as the Man, and the Man- 
Bull ; that these were the first of beings 
formed by the immediate hand of the 
Supreme. The Man was called Kaiomorts, 
and the Bull, Aboudad, and they were com- 
bined together, constituting one being; so 
that the man was the pure and holy soul of 
the Man-Bull. For some time after the pro- 
duction of this intelligent creature, there was 
a season of happiness, and the Man-Bull 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



181 



resided in an elevated region, which the 
Deity had assigned him. At last, an evil 
being, named Ahriman, or Arinianins, cor* 
rupted the world. After having dared to 
visit heaven, he descended to the earth, 
assumed the form of a serpent, and intro- 
duced a number of evil demons or spirits, 
whom he had seduced from obedience to the 
great Deity. By his venom, the Man-Bull 
was poisoned, and died. But after he was 
dead, from his left arm issued a being called 
Goschoraun, who, approaching the Creator 
God, raised a cry louder than the shout of a 
thousand armies, complaining of the power 
of Ahriman and the prevalence of evil ; and 
supplicating a deliverer. In the mean time, a 
universal opposition to the will of the 
Supreme, was raised by Ahriman, when a 
second Man-Bull appeared, named Taschter, 
to whom was committed the charge of pro- 
ducing a universal deluge. This personage 
is spoken of as a star, or a sun, and as exist- 
ing upon earth, under three forms. During 
this period, a conflict took place between the 
author of good, and Ahriman the producer 
of evil, in which the latter was subdued* 
u 



182 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



Taschter's light shone on high for thirty days 
and thirty nights. He is represented as 
having three bodies, of a man, a horse, and 
a bull ; from each of which he caused rain to 
pour down in drops as large as the head of 
an ox. The earth was covered with water, 
and all the Kharfesters, the mischievous 
genii, were destroyed. At length, the creat- 
ing God drove back the waters from the face 
of the earth by a mighty wind. Another 
bull was then formed, who became the author 
of all abundance, and from whom is derived 
the second race of men. According to the 
Zend-Avesta, when the waters retired from 
the surface of the globe, the summit of 
mount Albordi was the first land that became 
visible. The sun and the moon then appeared 
upon its summit ; and the latter of these is 
said to have received, preserved, and purified 
the offspring of the Man-Bull. The moon is 
declared to have caused every thing to be 
produced, when the world was renewed after 
the general deluge. She is celebrated as the 
common mother, from whom proceed all the 
various descriptions of animals. Zoroaster 
retained the custom, still practised by a tribe 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



183 



called Sagnicas, near Benares, that whoso- 
ever enters upon the sacerdotal ofnce, lights 
a fire by rubbing together two pieces of 
a hard wood named Semi, which he keeps 
lighted through life, for the nuptial ceremony, 
for the performance of solemn sacrifices, the 
obsequies of departed ancestors, and his own 
funeral pile. The reformed religion of Persia 
continued in force till that country was sub- 
dued by the Mussulmans, who by violence, 
established Islamism, or Mahommedanism, 
which is the prevalent system, at present; 
though numbers still preserve their ancient 
faith. These are called Parsees, or Guebres. 

Who was the Ormuzd, or Orosmades, or 
Oromazes of the Persian Mythology ? 

Ormuzd, Oromasdes, Orosmades, or Oro- 
mazes, was the name given to the Supreme 
Creator, by the Persian Mythology. He was 
adored as the author and principle of good, 
He was supposed to have produced the good 
spirits and genii residing in the stars ; and to 
have included them in an egg, which was 
broken by Ahriman, whence proceeded confu - 
vion, and the mixture of evil with good. It was 
imagined that an incessant struggle is main- 
it 2 



184 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



tained between him and the evil principle* 
till the latter shail be finally destroyed. 
Zoroaster described Orosmades, as residing 
in the midst of a pure and divine fire which 
fills the immensity of space : and by means 
of which, not only bodies, but spirits also, 
are rendered visible ; as being the first prin- 
ciple of all things ; as diffused throughout 
the universe, but as making the most bril- 
liant manifestation of his presence, in that 
fine and subtle ether. The ancient Persians 
regarded it as impious to pretend to form 
visible images of him, or to erect temples to 
his honour, with the idea of his making them 
his dwelling-place. They venerated fire as 
his sacred emblem ; the sun as his image; 
and their worship of him consisted in blood- 
less sacrifices, and simple rites. 
Who was Mithras ? 

Mithras is supposed to have been a per- 
sonification of the sun. He was esteemed to 
be the first production of the power of Oros<* 
mades, and was invoked as the mediator 
between him and Ahriman. He was repre- 
sented by Zoroaster, as seated next the 
throne of Orosmades, surrounded by an 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



1 85 



infinite multitude of genii, of different ranks 
and various orders, who presided over the 
divisions of time, the succession of the sea- 
sons, and the various operations of the natu- 
ral world. 

His symbols were, the bull, or the iVTan- 
Bull; the serpent; a serpent, a globe, and 
wings united. Certain mysteries were called 
by his name, similar to those of Isis and 
Ceres; founded chiefly on traditions con- 
cerning the deluge, and upon astronomical 
opinions. They were celebrated in deep 
caverns, or in artificial grottoes, in the moun- 
tains of Persia. The Mithratic caves were 
supposed to be emblems of the world, and 
sometimes of the ark of safety. The wor- 
ship of this deity was introduced at Rome, 
A. U. C. 687. 

Who was Ahriman, or Arimanius ? 

Ahriman was the supposed author of evil, 
who endeavoured to introduce universal con- 
fusion amongst the works of Oromasdes, and 
was in perpetual opposition to him. Zoroas- 
ter described him as being the chief of the 
Jynges, the highest rank of genii; who, 
aspiring to equal himself to the God Mithras, 
r '3 



286 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



by his eloquence seduced all the spirits of 
his order to unite with him, to disturb the 
harmony of the heavenly region. To punish 
these rebellious genii, Oromasdes suddenly 
withdrew his rays, and the sphere of Ahri- 
man became a chaos of eternal night, in 
which reigned discord, hatred, confusion, 
anarchy, and violence. By the power, and 
through the compassion of Oromasdes, from 
this chaos, arose the sun and the planets. 
Into the different planets were distributed the 
seven genii, the principal companions, and 
ministers of Ah rim an, with the subaltern 
spirits of that species, according to their 
different dispositions. The God Mithras 
labours unceasingly to reclaim and purify 
these spirits, and thus to capacitate them for 
their primitive felicity. 

~ — — — ~ — — Robed in purest white 

The magi rang'd before the unfolded tent. 

Pire .blaz'd beside them. Towards the sacred flame 

They turn'd, and sent their tuneful praise to heav'n. 

From Zoroaster was the song derived, 

Who, on the hills of Persia, from his cave, 

jBy flowers environ'd, and melodious founts. 

Winch sooth'd the solemn mansion, had revealed, 

How Oromazes ; radiant source of good, 



PERSIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



187 



Original, immortal, fram'd the globe 

In fruitfulness and beauty; how with stars, 

By him, the heavens were spangled ; how the sun 

."Refulgent Mithras, purest spring of light, 

And genial warmth, whence teeming nature smiles, 

Burst from the east, at his creating voice ; 

When, strait beyond the golden verge of day. 

Night show'd the horrors of her distant reign, 

Where black, and hateful, Arimanius frown'd, 

The author foul of evil ; How, with shades, 

From his dire mansion, he deform' d the works 

Of Oromazes ; turn'd to noxious heat, 

The solar beam, that foodful Earth might parch, 

That streams exhaling might forsake their beds, 

W T hence, pestilence and famine ; how the pow'r 

Of Oromazes, in the human breast 

Benevolence and equity infus'd, 

Truth, temperance, and wisdom sprung from heaTen ; 

WTien Arimanius blacken' d all the soul 

With falsehood and injustice, with desires 

Insatiable ; with violence and rage, 

Malignity and folly. If the hand 

Of Oromazes, on precarious life 

Shed wealth and pleasure, swift the infernal God, 

With wild excess, or avarice, blasts the joy. 

But, yet at last, shall Arimanius fall 

Before his might, and evil be no more. 

Glover's Leonidas, 



188 



SCYTHJ4N MYTHOLOGY. 



CHAP. VII. 
SCYTHIAN AND CELTIC MYTHOLOGY. 

What was the nature of the Scythian 
Mythology ? 

The religion of the ancient Scythians, or 
Cuthites, is supposed to have been the first 
corruption of Patriarchism, or the primitive 
doctrine, which began at a period, not later 
than the building of the tower of Babel, and 
which was, probably, no very wide departure 
from divine truth. At that era, it is imagined 
that Polytheism likewise was introduced, and 
that the struggle between the two systems 
was one operating cause of the dispersion of 
mankind. In process of time the Mythology 
of the Scythians became very debased. They 
worshiped a great number of Gods and 
Goddesses, but their chief deity, whom they 
called Tabiti, is the Vesta of after-times. 
Next to her, they reverenced Papeus, the 
Jupiter of the Greeks, and Apia, or the 
Earth, who was regarded as his consort. 
The celestial Venus, Apollo, and Neptune, 



SCYTHIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



189 



under the names of Strippasa, Oestosyrus 5 
and Thamimasides. But the God of war 
was their favourite divinity. To him they 
consecrated groves^ in which were oaks of 
extraordinary size, esteemed so sacred, that to 
lop a branch from them, or even to wound their 
trunk, was accounted sacrilege, and punished 
with death. These oaks were sprinkled with 
the blood of the victims offered to their 
Gods, so that the bark of the oldest of them 
was encrusted with it. To him they raised 
wooden altars of immense magnitude, which 
were quadrangular ; having three sides per- 
pendicular, and the fourth, an inclined plane, 
affording easy access to the summit, on which 
was erected a ci meter, as an image, or 
emblem of the God. They sacrificed horses to 
him, and every hundredth man taken in battle. 
The priest having poured a libation of wine 
upon the head of the destined captive, pierced 
his throat, and received the blood in a bowl, 
and with it washed the sacred sword. The 
right arm of the victim was then cut off, 
thrown up into the air, and suffered to re- 
main on the spot where it fell. The Scythians 
also offered to their gods the first fruits 



190 



SCYTHIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



of the earth, and portions of the spoils fhey 
gained in war. Fire, as the principle of all 
things ; the wind, as the cause of life ; and 
the sword, as the cause of death, were like- 
wise venerated by them. A being, named 
Zamolxis, imagined to have the charge of 
conducting departed spirits to their respective 
abodes, was worshiped by them ; and they 
sacrificed to him in behalf of their deceased 
friends. To all of these Deities groves, and 
not temples, were consecrated by the Scythi- 
ans: and priests were appropriated to the 
conducting their respective rites. 

What was the Celtic Mythology ? 

The religion of the ancient Germans, 
Gauls, and Britons, and other Celtic nations. 
This, like almost all the other systems of 
Paganism, in its primitive simplicity, taught 
the existence of one great Supreme Being, 
the universal Creator and Ruler. To him 
was given the name of Teutates, compounded 
of the two British words Deu-tatt, signifying 
God the Parent, or Creator. When these 
ancient nations sunk into idolatry, Teutates 
was degraded into the sovereign of the 
infernal world, and worshiped with the 



CELTIC MYTHOLOGY. 



191 



most abominable and cruel rites. The 
priests of this religion were called Druids, 
and they had the entire direction of all theo- 
logical concerns. By them, as the favourites 
of the Gods, and depositaries of their coun- 
sels, the people offered all their sacrifices and 
prayers. To them was intrusted the educa- 
tion of the youth. They were honoured in 
the highest degree, and determined all con- 
troversies, whether public or individual. 
Whoever refused submission to their decrees, 
was interdicted by them from the sacrifices. 
This interdiction was a most severe punish- 
ment, since they against whom it was directed 
were held in universal detestation as impious 
and execrable. They were rendered inca- 
pable of any trust, or honour; were put out of 
the protection of the laws, and exposed to 
insult and injury. The Druids were exempted 
from taxes and military service. It was 
esteemed unlawful to commit their religious 
doctrines to writing. They were taught and 
transmitted entirely by tradition, and by 
poems, which the Druids learnt and recited, 
at the expense of great labour. Amongst 
their leading doctrines, were those of the 



CELTIC MYTHOLOGY. 



immortality of the soul, and its transmigra- 
tion through various bodies. Their acknow- 
ledged divinities were, Teutates, Hesus, the 
god of war ; Bis, or Pluto ; Andate, the 
goddess of victory, and many of the Grecian 
deities. Like the Scythians, they performed 
their religious ceremonies in sacred groves, 
and paid peculiar respect to the oak, and 
superstitious reverence to the misletoe, grow- 
ing upon that tree. When any was dis- 
covered, the Druids went in pompous pro- 
cession to gather it. Every thing being 
prepared for the sacrifice, and the banquet 
under the oak, they began the ceremony by, 
tying two white bulls to it by the horns. 
Then one of the Druids, cloathed in white 
garments, ascended the tree, and w r ith a 
golden hook, cut off the misletoe ; which 
was received into a white sagum, or cloak. 
The sacred groves were surrounded by a 
ditch or a mound. In their centre was a 
circular area, inclosed with one or two rows 
of large stones. This was the temple. Close 
to that were the Carnedde, or consecrated 
mount ; and the Cromlech, or stone of sacri- 
fice. Human victims were frequently offered 



CELTIC MYTHOLOGY. 



193 



by those who laboured under disease, or were 
about to go to battle. Upon important pub- 
lic occasions, the Druids constructed colossal 
images of wicker work; filled them with 
human beings, and consumed them, together, 
by fire. Criminals were deemed the offer- 
ings most acceptable to the Gods ; but when 
these were wanting, innocent persons were 
frequently immolated. 

The poet Lucan has thus described a 
druidical grove : 

" Not far away, for ages past had stood 
An old unviolated sacred wood ; 
Whose gloomy boughs thick interwoven made 
A chilly cheerless everlasting shade ; 
There, not the rustic gods, nor satyrs sport, 
Nor fawns and sylvans with the nymphs resort ; 
But barb'rous priests some dreadful pow'r adore, 
And lustrate ev'ry tree with human gore." 

Rowe's Lucan, book iii. 1. 594, &c* 



CHAP. VIII. 

SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

Whence is the Scandinavian Mythology 
derived ? 

The Scandinavians are supposed to be 
s 



194 SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



descended from the Scythians, and their 
religion to be a corruption of that of those 
people. The religion of the ancient Scy- 
thians was extremely simple. In its prime- 
val purity, it taught the being of a supreme 
God, and Lord of the universe. To that 
Deity, it attributed infinite power, boundless 
knowledge, and incorruptible justice. It 
forbade the representation of this God, under 
any corporeal form; or the supposed con- 
finement of him within the inclcsure of walls, 
but enjoined the celebration of his worship 
in consecrated woods. From this Supreme, 
were imagined to spring a vast number of 
subaltern divinities, and genii, who directed 
all operations in the natural world, and who 
severally presided over the celestial bodies 5 
over rivers and mountains, over the winds, 
tempests, thunder, and lightning. To this 
was added the belief of a future state, in 
which they were rewarded with numberless 
joys, who fulfilled the three fundamental 
maxims of the religion, to serve the Supreme 
Divinity with sacrifice and prayer, to do no 
wrong to others, and to be brave and intre- 
pid themselves; while they who violated 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY, 



195 



them, suffered the severest tortures. The 
descendants of the Scythians corrupted this 
plain system. They associated to the Su- 
preme God, many of those genii, who had 
been always considered as subordinate to 
him, and, by degrees, selected as the objects 
of their peculiar adoration, those divinities, 
whose dominion they supposed to be exercised 
principally over those things, which they most 
highly valued. Thus it happened to the Scan- 
dinavians, who being fierce and fond of war, 
regarded the Supreme as the God of battle. 

Of what nature was the Scandinavian 
religion ? 

The Scandinavian mythology was of a 
gloomy, sanguinary character. As the fierce 
heroes of the north delighted in battle and 
slaughter, their religion partook of that cha- 
racter. Human victims were frequently 
offered, and were often esteemed substitutes 
for warriors, or princes about to die. In 
times of great danger, or public calamity, 
even their kings were sometimes sacrificed, 
to appease the anger of their Deities. Every 
ninth month, a festival of nine days was 
held, in each of which nine animal vie-* 
s 2 



196 SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



tims, frequently captives or slaves, were 
slain on a large stone, at the foot of the 
altar, on which was burning the everlasting 
fire. The bodies were opened by the priests, 
who drew omens from the entrails. Part of 
the blood was sprinkled on the people, and 
part on the sacred grove, in which the 
bodies were finally suspended. Sometimes, 
the miserable victims were precipitated into 
a deep well, near the consecrated inclosure. 
The Scandinavians, by degrees, adopted the 
custom of building temples for their Gods; 
the most famous of which were, at Upsal and 
Drontheim. 

Which were the chief, or primary Deities 
of Scandinavian mythology ? 

Odin, Frea, and Thor, formed the court, 
or supreme council of the Gods. 

What is the history of Odin ? 

According to Scandinavian mythology, 
Giants existed before the Gods: who were 
supposed to be born, to reign, and to die, 
like earthly monarchs. Odin, or Wodin, 
the greatest of their Gods, proceeded from 
Bonis, and from Beyzla, the daughter of the 
giant Baidorn. Aided by his two brothers, 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 197 



Vile and Ve, he created man and woman of 
two clumps of wood, which were floating on 
the shore of the ocean. The first of these 
Divinities imparted to them life and soul ; 
the second, reason and movement ; the third, 
hearing, sight, speech, raiment, and a name. 
The sons of Boms, afterwards, erected in 
the centre of the world the fortress of As- 
gard, which was the dwelling place of all the 
Gods. The particular abode of Odin was 
called Lidskialf, or the trembling gate. He 
is called the universal father ; the father of 
battles ; because he adopts, as his children, all 
those who die with arms in their hands. 
Odin takes no nourishment but wine, and 
distributes to two wolves, named Geri and 
Freki, the food served up to him at the celes- 
tial banquets. Considering Odin as a histo- 
rical personage, the general opinion is, that 
he v/as a Prince of some Scythian tribe, 
who, after the ruin of Mithridates, with 
whom he was in alliance, fled before the 
victorious arms of Pompey, and established 
himself in the north of Europe, with his 
army and the principal inhabitants of his 
country. There, assuming the name of 
8 3 



198 SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY, 



Odin, he became the chief object of the ido- 
latrous worship of the Scandinavians. Hav- 
ing been a mighty warrior, he was accounted 
the God of battles, who gave victory, and 
revived courage in the conflict. 

Having, in a certain degree, civilized the 
barbarous tribes he subdued, and introduced 
conveniences unknown amongst them before, 
he was also worshiped as the god of arts 
and sciences. To him were ascribed the 
attributes of divinity; magnificent temples 
were built and sacrifices offered. The fourth 
day of the week was consecrated to him, and 
called Wodin's day, now corrupted into 
Wednesday. The supposed actions of Odin 
are represented by the Scandinavian poets as 
most marvellous. In battle he slaughtered 
thousands at a blow. Odin is said, finally, 
to have retired into Sweden, and feeling the 
approach of death, and wishing to meet it, 
as he had often braved it in the field, he 
assembled his companions, and inflicted upon 
himself nine deep wounds with the point of 
his lance. As he was expiring, he declared 
that he was going into Scythia to take his 
place amongst the other deities, at the im- 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 199 

mortal banquet, where he would receive those 
who died with arms in their hands. 

What is the history of Frea? 

Frea, or Frigga, the daughter of Niorder, 
God of the winds and seas, was represented 
as the most amiable of the Goddesses. She 
was the wife of Odin, accompanied him in 
battle, on horseback, and shared the dead 
with him. Continually lamenting the depar- 
ture of her spouse, she wept tears of gold ; 
and from her constantly searching for him, 
she was called Vanadis, goddess of hope. 
She was supposed to have the knowledge of 
the future, which she never revealed. She 
inhabited a magnificent palace of heaven, 
named Fansal, the illustrious abode. Virgins 
of high birth consecrated themselves to her 
service. In the temple at Upsai was seen her 
image reclining on cushions, adorned with 
the emblems of fertility and abundance. 
Under the name of Hertha, she was regarded 
as the earth; and she was worshiped by 
most of the German tribes, as the goddess of 
love and pleasure ; the patroness of marriage. 
To her was consecrated the sixth day of the 
week; which still bears her name, Frea's day, 



<2dQ SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

or Friday. She was attended by Fulla, her 
handmaid, with long flowing hair, and a 
bandeau of gold. 

What were the offices and attributes 
ascribed to Thor ? 

Thor was esteemed to be the eldest and 
bravest of the sons of Odin and Frea. He 
was supposed to rule over the aerial regions; 
to launch the thunder ; to point the lightning ; 
to direct the meteors, winds, and storms. 
His palace was named, the Asylum against 
terror; and was said to contain 540 halls. 
Three articles of his armour, were particu- 
larly celebrated by the Scandinavian poets ; 
nis club, which was represented as instinct 
with life, and voluntarily returning to his 
hand after he had hurled it at his foes ; his 
belt, inspiring strength and valour; his 
gauntlets, without which he could not grasp 
the formidable club. Prayers were addressed 
to him for favourable winds, refreshing rains, 
and fruitful seasons. The fifth day of the 
week was dedicated to him, and called after 
his name, Thor's day; Thursday. 

"Which were the principal of the secondary 
Deities of Scandinavian Mythology ? 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY* 201 



Niorder, who presided over the seas, navi- 
gation, hunting, and fishing. He espoused 
Skada, daughter of the giant Thiasse ; who 
preferring the mountains of her father, to the 
humid palace of her husband, prevailed with 
him to spend nine out of every twelve days 
in the hilly regions, while the other three 
were spent on the shores of the ocean. 
Niorder is supposed to have been a king of 
some part of Sweden, and high priest of 
Upsal. 

Irminsul, or the column of the universe. 
He is imagined to have been a deification of 
Arminius, the noble leader of the Cherusci ; 
who revived the spirit of liberty among the 
Germans, and opposed a glorious resistance 
to the insatiable ambition of the Romans. 

Surtur, prince of the Genii of fire. He 
was described as inhabiting a luminous world, 
situated towards the south ; and as being 
destined, at the last day, to vanquish the 
Gods, and to give up the earth to flames. 

Balder, a son of Odin. He was repre- 
sented as possessing a majestic, attractive 
beauty; light hair and dazzling eyes. He 
was mild and eloquent, uttering just and 



202 SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



Irrevocable decrees. Into his palace no im- 
pure person could enter; and upon its 
columns were engraven those Runic rhymes 
which were imagined to have power to revive 
the dead. He was killed, unintentionally, 
by his blind brother, Hocler. 

Heimdal; the guardian of the heavens* 
He was styled the powerful ; the holy ; the 
God with golden teeth. He was repre- 
sented as posted in the celestial fortress, at 
one end of the bridge Bifrost, which reached 
from earth to heaven, and was evidently an 
emblem of the rainbow. There he defended 
the passage against the giants; taking less 
sleep than a bird ; seeing a hundred leagues 
round him, by night as well as by day ; hear- 
ing the grass growing on the ground, and 
the wool on the backs of the sheep. He 
held in his hand a trumpet, the sound of 
which might be heard throughout all worlds. 
He was esteemed to be the standard-bearer 
of the Gods ; the judge and pacificator of 
combats and disputes. He was represented 
with a cock's crest upon his head. Tyr, the 
dispenser of victory. Braga, the God of 
poetry. 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY, 20S 

To these, may be added, several children 
of Odin : Hoder the blind ; the silent Vidar* 
who walked the waters and the air; Val^ 
the formidable archer ; Uller, who presided 
over the trial by duel; and Forseti, who 
decided the differences between Gods and 
men. Iduna, queen of youth •, Saga, god- 
dess of waterfalls ; Vara, the witness of oaths^ 
Lofen, the guardian of friendship ; Synia ? 
avenger of broken faith. 

What was the hell of the Scandinavian My- 
thology, and who were its chief inhabitants ? 

It was called Niflheim, and was repre- 
sented as consisting of nine vast regions of 
ice, situated under the north pole- Near its 
eastern gate reposed the body of Vala, the 
prophetess. 

Hard by the eastern gate of Hell 
In ancient time, great Vala fell ; 
And there she lies in massive tomb, 
Shrowded by night s eternal gloom* 
Fairer than Gods, and wiser, she 
Held the strange keys of destiny, 
She knew what chanc'd ere time began % 
Ere world there was, or Gods, or man 5 
No mortal tongue has ever said, 
Wlia* hand unknown laid Vala dead. 



^04 SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

But yet if rumour rightly tells, 
In her cold bones the Spirit dwells; 
And still if bold intruder come, 
Her voice unfolds his hidden doom. 
And oft the rugged ear of Hell 
Is sooth 'd by some melodious spell, 
Slow breathing from the hollow stone 
In witching notes and solemn tone. 

Herbert's Helga. 

The Dog of darkness, similar to the Gre- 
cian Cerberus, guarded the entrance. 

Uprose the King of men with speed 
And saddled strait, his coal-black steed ; 
Down the yawning steep he rode, 
That leads to Hela's drear abode. 
Him, the dog of darkness spied; 
His shaggy throat he opened wide, 
While from his jaws, with carnage fill*d, 
Foam, and human gore distili'd. 
Hoarse he bays with hideous din, 
Eyes that glow, and fangs that grin. 

Gray's Descent of Odin. 

Here was the principal abode of Loke, 
the cruel, cunning, and malicious enemy of 
Gods and men. Here resided Hela, the 
dreadful Goddess of death, daughter of the 
evil genius Loke, and the giantess Angher- 
bode 3 or messenger of il] She was de- 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY* 205 



scribed as occupying an immense palace; 
where her hall was Sorrow ; her table, Fa- 
mine; her knife, Hunger; her Servants, 
Slowness and Delay; her gate, Precipice; 
her vestibule, Languor; her bed, Malady 
and Leanness ; her tent, Malediction. One 
half of her body was of the colour of putrid, 
and the other of living, flesh. In this 
region of horrors roamed the wolf Fenris, 
a monster dreaded by the Gods, as destined 
lo be one instrument of their destruction ; 
and the equally formidable serpent. 

Who were the Valkyries ? 

The Maids of the God of war ; the God- 
desses of slaughter. It was their province to 
select those that were to fall in battle; to 
bear the invitation of Odin, to the most 
distinguished ; to conduct the souls of he- 
roes slain, to Valhalla, his hail ; and there, 
to pour out for them, the beverage of the 
Gods. 

On steeds that seem'd as fleet as light, 
Six maids in brilliant armour dight. 
Their chargers of ethereal birth. 
Paw'd, with impatient hoof, the earth, 

T 



208 SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



And snorting fiercely 'gan to neigh, 
As if they heard the battle bray, 
And burn'd to join the bloody fray. 
But They unmov'd and silent sate, 
With pensive brow, and look sedate. 
Proudly each couch'd her glittering sppar 
And seem'd to know nor hope nor fear. 
So mildly firm their placid air. 
So resolute, yet heav'nly fair. 
But not one ray of pity's beam, 
From their dark eyelids seem'd to gleam ; 
Nor gentle mercy's melting tear, 
Nor love might ever harbour there. 
Was never woman's beauteous face, 
So stern and yet so passionless. 

What are the sacred books of the Scan- 
dinavian mythology? 

The most ancient, is the Voluspa ; the 
prophecy of Vala, or Vola, It begins with 
a description of Chaos ; relates the form- 
ation of the world ; the creation of its various 
inhabitants, giants, gods, men, and dwarfs. 
It then proceeds to a description of the em- 
ployments of the Destinies, called Nornies ; 
the functions of the Deities; their most re- 
markable adventures; their disputes with 
Loke, and the vengeance that ensued. It 
concludes with a representation of the final 



! 

Helga. 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



207 



rain by a general conflagration. The Edda, 
which is a commentary on the Voluspa, com- 
piled in Iceland, in the 13th century, con- 
tains the system of Scandinavian mythology. 
It speaks of the giants, as existing in chaos, 
before the earth. It describes the palace of 
Odin, the Valhalla in the city of Midgard, 
or Asgard ; where the souls of heroes who had 
fallen in battle, enjoy their supreme felicity. 
They spend the day in hunting shadowy 
forms of wild beasts, or in combats with sha- 
dowy warriors ; and at night assemble in the 
hall of Odin, to feast, and drink mead, of 
ale, out of the sculls of their enemies, whom 
they had killed in their mortal life. It men- 
tions Odin's steed, as being named Sleipner? 
having eight legs, and running with incon- 
ceivable speed. It speaks of the embalmed 
head of Mimer, the prophet, which Odin 
used to carry with him and consult. It gives 
the names of some of the giants, and ascribes 
to them marvellous exploits. But the most 
extraordinary part of the sacred books of the 
Scandinavian mythology, is the description 
they give of the end of the world; which is 
called the twilight of the Gods. Three sue- 
T 2 



208 SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

cessive, severe, and dreadful winters, will an- 
nounce its approach to the children of men. 
The snow will fall from the four corners of 
the world. The wolf Fenris will devour the 
sun; another monster will carry off the 
moon ; the stars will vanish from the heavens; 
the tottering mountains will crumble to 
pieces ; the sea will rush upon the land ; the 
great serpent, advancing to the shore, will 
inundate the air and water, with floods of 
venom. In the midst of this confusion, the 
heaven will open; the Genii of fire will 
enter, and with Surtur at their head, will 
pass the bridge Bifrost. They will unite 
with Fenris and Loke, and range themselves 
in battle array, upon an extensive plain. 
Immediately Heimdal sounds his trumpet; 
Odin consults the head of Mimer ; the great 
ash tree Idrasil, which overshadowed the 
gates of his palace, is agitated. The combat 
begins between Odin and Fenris ; Thor and 
the great serpent ; Frey, the son of Niorder, 
and Surtur. Tyr attacks the horrible dog 
Garme, and they kill each other. At the 
same instant Frey is beaten down. Thor 
overthrows the huge serpent; but in strik- 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



209 



ing him recoils nine paces, and falls stifled 
by the venom of the monster. Odin is 
devoured by Fenris, who is killed by Vidar. 
Loke and Heimdal fall by mutual wounds. 
Surtur scatters his fires over all the earth, 
till it is consumed. Vidar, the god of si- 
lence, and Vali, the god of strength, alone 
survive. A new system will then be esta- 
blished. 

Besides those already enumerated, two 
more vague and doubtful beings are found 
in the Scandinavian mythology. Hreesvel- 
ger, who sits at the extremity of the heavens, 
a giant in the clothing of an eagle: from 
whose wings proceed the winds ; and Svalin, 
who holds a curious shield before the sun, 
to prevent the hills from being burnt, and 
the sea from being evaporated by excessive 
heat. 

He, who at heav'n's extremest verge, 
Still broods o'er ocean's swelling surge, 
With giar.t form, and frequent flings 
The tempest from his eagle wings. 
And that dark power, whose ample shield 
Before the sun's bright face is held ; 
Screening from flame, the liquid main, 
Each shadowy hill, and grassy plain, Helga, 
T 3 



210 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY, 



The northern mythology makes the Sun 
to be a female, and the moon a male divi- 
nity. 

THE SONG OF VALA. 

(From Herbert's Helga.) 

Silence all ye sons of glory ! 

Silence alt ye powers of light ! 
While I sing of ancient story, 
Wonders wrapt in mystic night. 

I was rock'd in giants' cradle, 

Giants' lore my wisdom gave ; 
I have known both good and evil, 
Now I lie in lowly grave. 

Long before the birth of Odin, 

Mute was thunderous ocean's roar : 
Stillness o'er the huge earth brooding, 
Strand was none, nor rocky shore. 

Neither grass nor green tree growing, 

Vernal shower, nor wintry storm, 
Nor those horses, bright and glowing, 
Dragg'd the Sun's refulgent form. 

He who rules, by night, the heaven, 

Wist not where his beams to throw ; 
All to barren darkness given, 
There, confusion ; Hell below. 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



Imir sate in lonely sadness, 

Watching o'er the fruitless globe ; 

Never morning beam'd with gladness ; 
Never eve, with dewy robe. 

Who are those in pride advancing, 
Through the barren tract of night ? 

Mark their steel divinely glancing, 
Imir falls in holy fight i 

Of his bones, the rocks high swelling, 
Of his flesh the glebe is made ; 

From his veins the tide is welling, 
And his locks are verdant shade. 

Hark his crest with gold adorning, 

Chanticleer on Odin calls. 
Hark ! another bird of morning, 

Claps his wings in Hela's halls. 

Nature shines in glory beaming ; 

Elves are born , and man is fonn'd 
Ev'ry hill with gladness teeming, 

Ev'ry shape with life is warm'd. 

Who is he by heav'n's high portal, 
Beaming like the light of morn ? 

*Tis Heimdallar's form immortal, 
Shrill resounds his golden horn. 

Say, proud Warder rob'd in glory, 
Are the foes of nature nigh ? 

Have they climb'd the mountains hoary ? 
Have they storm' d the lofty sky? > 



2 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



On the wings of tempest riding, 
Surtur spreads his fiery spell 5 

Elves in secret caves are hiding ; 
Odin meets the wolf of hell 

She must taste a second sorrow, 

She who wept when Balder bled, . . 

Fate demands a nobler quarry ; 
Death must light on Odin's head. 

See ye not yon silent stranger ? 

Proud he moves with low'ring eyes, 
Odin, mark thy stern avenger ! 

Slain the shaggy monster lies. 

See the serpent weakly crawling ! 

Thor has bruis'd its loathsome head ! 
JLo the stars from heav'n are falling ! 

Earth has sunk in ocean's bed ! 

Glorious Sun, thy beams are shrowded, 
Vapours dark around thee sail ; 

Nature's eye with mists is clouded ; 
Shall the Powers of ill prevail ? 

Say, shall earth with freshness teeming, 
Once again from ocean rise ? 

Shall the dawn of glory streaming, 
Wake us to immortal joys 2 

He shall come in might eternal, 
He whom eye hath never seen. 

Earth, and Heav'n, and Powers infernal, 
Mark his port and awful mien. 



SCANDINAVIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



213 



He shall judge, and he shall sever, 
Shame from glory, ill from good; 

These shall live in light for ever, 
Those shall wade the chilling flood. 

Dark to dwell in woe repining, 
Far beyond the path of day, 

In that bower, where serpents twining, 
Loathsome spit their venom'd spray. 



~ — A few grey stones 

Kow mark the spot where Odin's temple stood, 

And there the traveller seeks with busy eye 

His altar green with moss. The northern chiefs 

Cast not their captive in the dungeon now 

To the viper brood, nor to the eagle's shape 

Carve out his mangled form. Southey. 



CHAP. IX. 

ARABIAN AND BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY. 

What was the nature of the Arabian 
Mythology ? 

The primitive Arabian religion admitted 
the existence of one Supreme God, the Maker 
and Lord of the Universe, who was denomin- 
ated Allah Taala, that is, the Most High 



214 



ARABIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



God. But the Arabians soon degenerated, 
and fell into the error of adoring the hea- 
venly bodies ; and, by degrees, gross idolatry 
was introduced among the common people, 
wovshiped among particular tribes. Of the 
angels or intelligences which the Arabians 
to reside in them, and to govern the world 
under the Supreme Deity. These they 
reverenced as inferior divinities, and implored 
their intercession with the greatest God. 
Seven celebrated temples were dedicated to 
the seven planets, and statues were erected 
to their honour. Besides the stars, which 
w r ere general objects of worship throughout 
Arabia, there were some that were peculiarly 
They worshiped the fixed stars and the 
planets : and the angels, whom they supposed 
venerated, the Goran mentions three, Allat, 
Al-Uzzah, and Manah. These were called 
goddesses, and the daughters of God; and 
this appellation was conferred, not only on 
the angels, but on their images likewise, 
which they believed to be animated by those 
angels. Allat was the idol of the tribe 
Thakif, and to him was consecrated a temple, 
at a place named Nakhlah. Al-Uzzah was 



ARABIAN MYTHOLOGY. 215 



the idol of the tribes of Koreish and Kenanaln 
But according to some writers, this idol was 
an acacia tree, over which was built a chapel. 
Manah was the object of worship to the 
tribes of Hodhail and Khozaah, who occupied 
the country between Mecca and MedL . 
Manah is supposed to have been represented 
by the black stone placed in the Caaba, the 
temple at Mecca ; which has been so reve- 
renced by the Mahometans, as being one of 
the precious stones of Paradise that fell down 
to the earth with Adam ; and being taken up 
again, or, otherwise preserved at the deluge, 
was brought back by the angel Gabriel, to 
Abraham, when he was building the Caaba. 
This stone is set in silver, and fixed in the 
south-east angle of that sacred edifice, which 
is a building so ancient, that its original use, 
and the period of its erection, are totally 
unknown. It was built, probably, by some 
of the earliest descendants of Ishmael, and 
intended for religious purposes. It was held 
in great veneration long before the birth of 
Mahomet. The Arabian writers describe 
five antediluvian idols, who are said to have 
been men of exemplary virtue and high 
reputation. Their statues were, at first, only 



r 

116 



ARABIAN MYTHOLOGY. 



testimonies of civil honour, which, in process 
of time, was heightened into religious rever- 
ence. The Arabians had, likewise, a great 
number of other idols ; each tribe and family 
maintaining its own appropriate deity. 

What was the character of the Babylonian 
Superstition ? 

The Babylonian Mythology gave rise to 
almost all the idolatrous superstitions that 
spread among the neighbouring nations, and is 
charged with having introduced the abomin* 
able custom of human sacrifices, to appease^ 
or to conciliate their false deities. 

Their mythology was much blended with 
their science ; as the Chaldeans were not 
only their priests, but also their philosophers. 
They were greatly addicted to astrology, and 
ascribed powerful influence to the stars and 
planets. Belus, the supposed founder of the 
Assyrian and Babylonian empires, became 
the principal object of worship among the 
later Babylonians, and was, in fact, their 
Jupiter. A temple was erected to him, ii| 
Babylon, and a tower, which was used by 
the Chaldeans as an observatory. The temple 
consisted of eight towers, raised one above 



BABYLONIAN MYTHOLOGY, 217 



the other. In an apartment of one of them 
was placed a magnificent bed, and a golden 
table near it ; but without any image. Here 
the God was supposed to come to repose 
himself ; hence it has been inferred that the 
Babylonians regarded him as the Supreme 
God. Beneath this was another apartment, 
in which was a gigantic statue of Belus, made 
of solid gold, and a throne of the same metal. 
This image, supposed to be the great Pul, 
or Belus, who was deified by his son Tiglath- 
pileser, being situated below the Supreme 
Deity, seems to have implied, that Belus 
\livided the empire of the universe with him ; 
/hat as the former w r as the God of heaven, so 
the latter was a delegated God on earth. 
Some have thought, that by their superior 
deity, the Babylonians meant the sun. 



CHAR X/ 

What werethe idoi deities of the Canaan* 
ites, Philistines, Syrians, and other tribes, 
the hostile neighbours of the Israelites ? 

Baal, a mere title, denoting lord , and 
u 



218 



CANAANITES. 



Moloch, Molech, or Malek, which signifies 
king, were variously combined to express 
various attributes of the idols known by those 
names. Thus, Baal-Peor, who was the idol 
of the Moabites, whose rites were most 
detestable and cruel ; and who is regarded as 
being the same as Typhon; means lord of 
the opening, Baal-Zebub, lord of flies; 
Baal-Berith, Addra, Malek, Ana-Malek, 
and Melchom, signifying the burning king. 
The chief god of the Philistines was Dagon, 
whose statue was compounded of the figures 
of a man and a fish ; his name signifies the 
sun worshiped under the form of a fish* 
Moloch, the same as the Saturn of the Car- 
thaginians, was the chief deity of the Pheni- 
cians, and other neighbouring nations ; in 
honour of whom, human victims, principally 
children, were immolated. Adonis, or Tham- 
muz, was worshiped throughout Phrygia 
and Syria, under that name, or the appel- 
lation of Attis or Atys, and his supposed 
death by the tusk of a wild boar was annually 
lamented with solemn ceremonies. Rimmon 
and Astarte, queen of heaven, the Moon, 
distinguished by her silver crescent, were 



IDOLS OF THE CANAANITES, &C. 219 



likewise, objects of worship, amongst those 
nations. These our sublime poet Milton 
notices. 

Next, Moloch, horrid king besmeared with blood 

Of human sacrifice, and parents' tears ; 

Though for the noise of drums and timbrels loud, 

Their children's cries unheard, that passed through fire 

To his grim idol. Kim the Ammonite 

Worsbip'd in Rabba, and her wat'ry plain. 
Next Chemos, the obscene dread of Moab's sons £ 
Peor, his other name. With these, in troop, 
Came Astoreth, whom the Phenicians call 
Astarte, queen of heaven, with crescent horns : 
To whose bright image, nightly by the moon, 
Si (Ionian virgins paid their vows and songs. 

" Thammuz came next behind, 

Whose annual wound, in Lebanon, allur'd 
The Syrian damsels to lament his fate. 

r Next, came one 

Who mourn'd in earnest, when the captive ark 
Maim'd his brute image ; head and hands lopp'd off, 
Dagon his name ; sea monster ; upward man, 
And downward fish ; yet had his temple high, 
Rear'd in Azotus, dreaded through the coast 
Of Palestine, in Gath and Ascalon. 
Him followed Xiimmon, whose delightful seat 
Was fair Damascus, on the fertile banks 
Of Abbana and Pharpar, lucid streams. 

What are the idols of the Mexicans and 
Peruvians ? 

u 2 



220 MEXICAN MYTHOLOGY. 

The chief God of the Mexicans was called 
"Vitzliputzli, or Mexitli, whom they suppose 
to have conducted the march of their ances- 
tors, from the northern regions to their 
southern situation. He was imagined to be 
a cruel deity, fond of blood ; and to him 
were offered, annually, multitudes of human 
victims, on the summit of his pyramidal 
temple in ancient Mexico. The unhappy 
victims were stretched out, by four priests, 
upon a convex green stone, as an altar ; and 
while they were yet alive, their hearts were 
extracted by the high priest, and their bodies 
precipitated down the steps, which formed 
the sides of the temple. 

The image of Vitzliputzli was the figure of 
a man, seated on an azure- coloured stool, 
in an ark or litter; at each corner of which 
was a piece of wood carved into the shape of 
a serpent's head. His forehead also was? 
azure, and a band of the same colour passed 
under his nose, from one ear to the other. 
On his head was a rich plume of feathers, 
covered on the top with gold. In his left 
hand was a white target ; and in his right, 
an azure staff in form of a waving wand. 



MEXICAN MYTHOLOGY. 



221 



The ark within which he reposed was covered 
with linen clothes, feathers, jewels, and orna- 
ments of gold, and conspicuously placed 
upon a lofty altar. Before him was a veil, 
or curtain. In conjunction with Vitzliputzli, 
the Mexicans worshiped another God, whom 
they called Kaloc. These were always 
placed together, as companions, and as enjoy- 
ing an equal degree of power. They reve- 
renced likewise a goddess, who was styled 
the Great Mother, and regarded as the god- 
dess of the waters. The chief deities of the 
Peruvians were Viracocha, or Pachacamac, 
whom they worshiped in connection with 
the sun ; Pachamama, or the Earth ; and 
Mamacocha, or the mother sea. They did 
not practise the sanguinary rites of the Mexi- 
cans, but, like them, they consecrated virgins 
to the service of their divinities, similar to 
the vestal virgins. 



v-3 



CONCLUSION. 



CONCLUSION. 

A survey of the absurdities presented to 
view in the Heathen Mythology, ought 
surely to excite our gratitude towards the 
supreme Lord of Providence, for having 
delivered us from such deplorable mental 
blindness. 

Though tne philosophers of antiquity 
probably regarded those monstrous fictions 
as conveying lessons of wisdom, under the 
veil of allegory, yet, it is certain, that the 
people, at large, received them as literal 
truths, and cherished them with such vene- 
ration, that it was dangerous, in the highest 
degree, to express any doubts on the subject. 
The wisest sages deemed it more expedient 
to conceal their better knowledge from all, 
excepting a few select disciples, than to 
shake the common faith, and disturb the pub- 
lic religion. Hence, even in those polished 
nations, amongst whom the arts and sciences 
flourished with progressive vigour, religion 
and morality remained stationary, wretchedly 
debased and obscured. 



CONCLUSION. 



225 



From a small, almost, unnoticed, spot on 
the surface of the earth, faintly gleamed for 
ages, the light of heavenly truth, until, at 
the season appointed in the eternal counsels 
of the Most High, the day-spring burst forth 
into a flood of radiance, piercing and scat* 
tering the gloomy clouds of ignorance. Je- 
sus, the Christ of God, the Prince of Peace, 
appeared. The Sun of Righteousness, the 
glorious luminary of the moral world arose, 
and the dark shades of intellectual night 
swiftly fled away. We behold one God, the 
Creator, the Preserver, the Ruler of the 
universe ; clad in glory ; arrayed in strength ; 
seated upon the throne of uncaused being: 
unchangeably possessed of almighty power, 
unerring wisdom, perfect purity, unbounded 
goodness : ever present in all parts of the 
vast creation ; ever providing for the happiness 
of all creatures. 

How thankful should we be for these 
sublime, rational, encouraging, delightful 
ideas of the Deity, the all-directing mind ; 
for this most precious knowledge, communi- 
cated unto us by our Lord Jesus Christ ! 

How earnestly should we desire, how 



CONCLUSION. 



diligently endeavour, that this unsullied beam 
of celestial splendour, may enlighten our 
understandings, may purify our hearts, may 
elevate our affections, may guide our steps 
through all the changing scenes of this imper- 
fect state, and may cheer our fainting spirits, 
In the awful hour of dissolution; that thus 
we may not have received the grace of God 
in vain. 



22 B 



QUESTIONS. 

What was the origin of the Grecian 
Mythology ? 

In which class of the first order of Deities 
were Saturn, Coslus, Genius, Orcus, Sol, 
Bacchus, Terra, and Luna? 

What were they called ? 

Of what Deities was the council of Jupiter 
composed ? 

To what order did Pan, Pomona, Flora, 
and the other rural deities belong? 

In what order were the personified virtues 
and vices ranked ? 

Which of the Muses presided over history, 
and whence is her name derived ? 

In what order were placed Hercules, Escu* 
iapius, Castor, Pollux, and the Heroes ? 

What was the character of Proteus, and 
how have the Poets described it ? 

Who invented sails for ships ? 

Of whom were Titan and Saturn the sons ? 



226 



QUESTIONS* 



Which King of Rome instituted the wor- 
ship of Vesta and the Vestal virgins ? 

What were the Saturnalia ? 

How were the festivals of Cybele cele- 
brated ? 

What was the Opertum ? 

What was the Palladium, and where was 
it preserved ? 

Who were the most ancient God and 
Goddess ? 

Who mentions Jupiter Belus, and who 
were his peculiar worshipers ? 

Who were the Galli ? 

What account does history give of Cybele ? 

What was the golden age ? 

What were the Megalesia ? 

Which of the Indigetes first coined copper 
money ? 

By whom was Jupiter Ammon worshiped, 
and where was his temple ? 

Who was the inventor of boats and 
crowns ? 

By whom were altars raised to the memory 
of Janus ? 

Which of the Muses presided over tragedy, 
and how is she represented ? 



QUESTIONS. 



227 



How was the fire on the altar of Vesta 
renewed, and at what time of the year ? 

On what condition did Titan resign his 
right of primogeniture to Saturn, and at 
whose desire ? 

What did the Ethiopians call Jupiter ? 

Who was the wife of Saturn ? 

Repeat Homer's account of Jupiter. 

Which of her sons did Cybele conceal and 
educate ? 

Which of the Muses was the patroness of 
light and airy poetry? 

On what account was Janus represented 
with a double face ? 

What were his attributes ? 

Describe the chariot and horses of Sol. 

Which Muse presided over miscellaneous 
poetry ? 

Whence, and by whom, were the Lares 
and Penates, which were kept in the temple 
of Vesta, brought to Rome ? 

Repeat Virgil's account of Jupiter. 

Which was the Comic Muse, and how w r as 
she depicted ? 

By whom were Saturn and Cybele con* 
fined, and by whom were they released ? 



228 



QUESTIONS. 



By what name was Jupiter known among 
the Gauls ? 

What became of Saturn after his liberation 
from the power of Titan ? 

How came the owl to be the favourite bird 
of Minerva ? 

By what people was Jupiter called Apis ? 

Who w r as the daughter of Ceres, and what 
were her adventures ? 

What were the victims commonly offered 
to Jupiter, and what trees were accounted 
sacred to him ? 

What birds were sacred to Juno ? 

Who taught the art of tilling the earth, 
raising corn, and making bread ? 

In what city was Juno principally wor- 
shiped ? 

What is the description which Homei 
gives of Jupiter ? 

Who forged the thunderbolts of Jove, and 
of what materials did the Poets make them 
to consist? 

What animals were generally sacrificed to 
Juno? 

What was Proserpine considered to oe, 
and of what was her history emblematical ? 



QUESTIONS. 



229 



Who was the attendant and messenger of 
Juno ? 

Who was the patroness of instrumental 
music ? 

Repeat Homer's description of Juno's 
chariot. 

What were the names of the horses of the 
Sun, and what did they signify ? 

What was the history of Aurora and Ti- 
thonus, and of what was it emblematical ? 

Who were the Heliades, and what was 
their fate ? 

What tree was dedicated to Apollo ? 

Who were the Cyclops? 

Who was Midas, and what was his history ? 

Of what was Circe the emblem ? 

Where was Esculapius principally wor- 
shiped, and under what form ? 

Repeat Virgil's lines on Ceres. 

What was the name of the winged horse 
of the Muses, and what did he produce by a 
blow of his foot ? 

Of what is Diana figurative ? ] 

What animals were sacred to Mars ? 

What were the favourite birds of Minerva ? 

Of what fruit did Pallas teach the use? .... 
x 



^30 



QUESTIONS. 



What were the Ancilia ? 

Who caused them to be made ? 

Who brought the statue of Diana from 
the Taurica Chersonesus, into Italy? 

What animals were represented as drawing 
the chariot of Bacchus ? 

Who was Bacchus supposed to be ? 

What did Minerva and Neptune produce* 
when they disputed which should give name 
to the rising city of Athens ? 

What was the buckler of Minerva ? 

Where was the temple of Bellona, and 
what sacrifices did her priests offer to her ? 

By whom was made the famous statue of 
Minerva, and in which of her temples was it 
placed ? 

Describe the fall of Phaeton ? 

What island was supposed to be the 
favourite residence of Venus ? 

Into what island did Vulcan fall, when 
Jupiter threw him down from heaven ? 

What animals and plants were consecrated 
to Venus ? 

Where was the workshop of Vulcan, and 
who were his workmen ? 

Who was the wife of Cupid ? 



QUESTIONS. 



231 



How were the Graces pictured ? 

Where were their principal temples, and 
what was their character ? 

Who were the chief of the Cyclops ? 

By whom was Vulcan invoked as the 
Avenger, when they made treaties ? 

How was Neptune represented ? 

What was the figure of Oceanus ? 

Who was the messenger of Jupiter, and 
the god of eloquence and the arts ? 

What birds were imagined to have the 
power of stilling the waves, and what was 
their history ? 

Who were the Naiads ? 

Who built a temple to Terminus, and 
prescribed the form of his worship ? 

Who was the God of the winds ? 

Who were the attendants of Neptune ? 

What were the victims offered to Pluto ? 

Who was the wife of Neptune ? 

What were the personifications of the 
dangerous rocks, and of the whirlpool, be- 
tween SiciJy and Italy ? 

Who were the Lymniades ? 

What were the Satyrs, Fauns, and Egi- 
pans ? 

x 2 



232 



QUESTIONS. 



Who were the Oreades ? 
Of what colour were the chariot and horses 
of Pluto, and what property did his helmet 

possess ? 

Repeat Virgil's account of Mercury. 
Who were the Dryades and Hamadry- 

ades ? 

What was the imagined quality of the 
waters of the river Lethe ? 

What was the form of the god Pan ; what 
was his musical instrument, and how were 
his priests named ? 

Which of the Muses presided over the 
dance, and how was she described ? 

Who was the foster-father and attendant 
of Bacchus ? 

What were his different characters ? 

What Muse presided over epic poetry and 
rhetoric ? 

What were the names of the household 
gods of the Romans ? 

Who was the god of Riches, and how was 
he represented ? 

How were the Fates represented, and what 
were their names ? 

Describe Charon. 



QUESTIONS. 



233 



What was the crime and what the punish- 
ment of Sisyphus ? 

What was the crime and what the punish- 
ment of Phlegyas ? 

Of Ixion? 

Of Tantalus? 

Repeat Homer's account of Scylla and 
Charybdis. 

Who was the leader, and who were the 
principal heroes engaged in the expedition to 
gain the golden fleece ? 

What was the name of their ship, and the 
general name by which they were called ? 

Who was Chiron ? 

To what monster was OEdipus the cause of 
destruction by answering her enigmas ? 

What nonster did the hero Bellerophon 
destroy, and what was the meaning of the 
fiction ? 

Which of the Muses was the inventress of 
astronomy, and how was she represented ? 

Where were the three chief oracles of 
Jupiter ? 

Name the Pagan Mythologies in which 
traditions from Sacred History may be 
traced. 

x 3 



254 



QUESTIONS. 



Who was Hebe ? 

In what countries are the Brahminical and 
Buddhic systems of idolatry still the prevail- 
ing superstitions ? 

What is the first division of Oriental 
Mythology ? 

What was the doctrine of Transmigra- 
tion? 

What was Astrolotry ? 

Of what Pagan Mythologies was the 
Osiric or Brahminical superstition the 
source ? 

What is the grand Lama ? l 

Give some account of him. 

What heathen religions authorized human 

sacrifices ? 

What ancient people professed the Thothic 
or Buddhic superstition ? 

How long do the learned followers of 
Buddha expect their religion to prevail; and 
what event do they imagine will precede its 
termination? 

What colour is sacred to Buddha ? How 
is he represented, and where was his worship 
celebrated ? j 

Who were Suradevi, Carticeya, Cama : :i! 



QUESTIONS. 



235 



What is the general character of the 
Hindu, or Brahminical Mythology ? 

What is the name, and what are the attri- 
butes, of the supreme deity of the Hindus ? 

What is the Hindu account of the Cre- 
ation ? 

What was the name of the Hindu hell, 
and who was its supposed sovereign ? 

What account do the oldest Hindu scrip- 
tures give of the Deity ? 

What are the holy books of the Indian 
Mythology called ? 

What is the Sanscrit ? 

How is Brahme supposed to manifest his 
power ? 

Who are the celestial beings that form the 
Hindu Trinity ? 

How is Lachsmee represented, and what 
account is given of her ? 

Who is Vishnu? 

How many incarnations of him are re- 
corded, and for w r hat purpose and in what 
form is he expected to appear again ? 

Who are the Dewtahs ? 

Who was Casyapa ? 

Give some account of him. 



£36 



QUESTIONS. 



What do the Hindus assert concerning 
Menu? 

Describe the Hindu God of Wisdom. 

What people is supposed to have intro- 
duced human sacrifices ? 

Who was Indra, and what were his attri- 
butes ? 

Describe the residence of Indra. 
Who are the Parias ? 

What account does the Bhagavat give of 
Seshanaga ? 

What is the Bhagavat ? 

What account is given of Mariatale ? 

What is the name of the Hindu God of 
Death, and what account does Southey give 
of him ? 

Who is Seraswatti, and what description is 
given of her ? 

What vestiges of the worship of the Sun 
are discernible in the Hindu worship ? 

Under what name is the Sun worshiped by 
the Hindus ? 

To what Divinity do the Hindus consecrate 
their fountains ? 

Describe an Indian temple of the Sun. 
« What was the last incarnation of Vishnu, 



QUESTIONS, 



what was its object, and when did it take 
place ? 

What general name is given to the incar- 
nations of Vishnu, and how are they repre- 
sented ? 

Are human sacrifices still allowed by the 
Brahminical religion ? 

What kind of edifices were the ancient 
Hindu temples? 

On what site are the Indian pagodas 
generally found ? 

Describe the temple of Jaggernaut. 

Which are the principal Hindu temples 
of modern date ? 

What kind of idol images are found in the 
Hindu temples ? 

Which is the highest caste among the 
Hindus ? 

Who w r as Varuna ? 

Who w r as Seeva, or Mahadeva ? 

What was the Sw^erga ? 

Who was Buddha ; and what the figure of 
his images ? 

Was there any affinity between the ancient 
Egyptian Mythology and that of the Brah- 
mins and Druids ? 

\m„ Mm 



238 



QUESTIONS. 



What was the great object of Egyptian 
worship ? 

Who was Nepthys ? 

Under what different forms was Osiris 
represented ? 

What animals were sacred to Typhon ? 

What were the attributes of Typhon, and 
how was he depicted ? 

Who was Horus? with which of the 
Grecian Deities was he identified ? 

How has the allegory of Horus been 
explained ? 

In what part of Egypt was the uncreated 
God alone worshiped, and from what were 
his worshipers exempted ? 

Where was the Serapeum, what kind of 
building was it, and by whose order was it 
destroyed ? 

Of what was Harpocrates the type, and 
what offerings were presented to him ? 

Of what was Jupiter Amnion the repre- 
sentation, and what honours were conferred 
on his statue ? 

To what god was the Ibis consecrated, 
under what titles was he known, and for 
what was he distinguished ? 



QUESTIONS. 



239 



What power was ascribed to Sem, and 
who was he ? 

How was the Egyptian Mars named, and 
under what form was he worshiped ? 

Who was Trismegistus, and how did he 
designate the virtues and emotions of the 
soul? 

Of what was Bouto the personification, and 
how was she represented ? 

Describe her celebrated temple. 

What was the character of the Egyptian 
idolatry ? 

Where, and how, was Apis worshiped, 
and what was he? 

Of what was Serapis a personification? 

What is the name of the sacred book of 
the Persian religion ? 

Who was Arimanius ? 

What is the Persian tradition of the 
Creation and the Deluge ? 

Who are the Parsees ? 

Who was Orosmades ? 

How has Zoroaster described Arimanius ? 

What were the symbols of Orosmades, 
and what was his first production? 

What circumstance established the supe- 



240 



QUESTIONS. 



riority of the Persian Mythology over every 
other ? 

Repeat Glover's description of the God 
Mithras. 

Who was Mithras ? 

Who were the Scythian Deities ? 

What kind of altars did the Scythians 
erect in honour of the God of War; and 
what sacrifices did they offer to him ? 

In what situations did the Druids perform 
their religious rites ; what sacrifices did they 
frequently offer; and what was their ceremony 
of cutting the misletoe ? 

Who were Teutates, Hesus, and Andate ? 

What was the representation given of the 
destruction of the world by the Scandinavian 
Mythology ? 

What did the ancient Scythian religion 
teach in its primeval purity ? 

By what people, and in what respects, was 
the mild religion of the Scythians corrupted ? 

At what period did the Scythian Mytho- 
logy take its rise, and what were its nature 
and its sacrifices? 

What was the Celtic religion ? 

In what countries did the Celtic Mytho- 



QUESTIONS. 



241 



logy prevail, and by what name was the 
Supreme Being designated? 

Who were the priests of the Celtic reli- 
gion, what was the nature of their rites, and 
in what places were they performed ? 

What degree of influence and power, and 
what privileges, did the Druids enjoy ? 

What kind of worship was celebrated in 
the sacred groves of the Druids ? 

Repeat Lucan's description of a druidical 
grove. 

What was the nature of the Scandinavian 
Mythology ? 

What are the names of the sacred books of 
the Scandinavian Mythology ? 

Which of the Scandinavian Divinities 
formed their supreme council ? 

What is the fabulous account of Odin ? 

What is the historical account of Odin ? 

What was the name of his wife, and what 
day of our week is called after her ? 

After which of the Scandinavian Divinities 
is the fifth day of the week named, and 
what is said of his palace ? 

Who was the god of the sea in the 
Scandinavian Mythology ? 

Y 



242 



QUESTIONS. 



Who was Irminsul ? 
Who was Surtur ? 

What was the name of the Scandinavian 
hill, and how was it described ? 

When and where was the Edda compiled, 
and what are its contents ? 

What is the Voluspa ? 

Repeat the song of Vala. 

Who were the Valkyries ? 

What was the Valhalla? 

What does Sonthey say of Odin's temple ? 

Who was Sleipner ? 

Of what nature was the ancient Arabian 
Mythology ; and what name did it assign to 
the Supreme Deity ? 

What were the Allat, the Al-Uzzah, and 
the Manah of the Arabians ? 

What was the first corruption of religion 
among the Arabians ? 

What was the Caaba, and what represent- 
ation of Manah was in it ? 

What were the names of the Angels, or 
Intelligences, whom the Arabians venerated ? 

By whom was the Caaba supposed to 
have been built ? 



QUESTIONS. 



2.43 



What was the nature of the Babylonian 
superstition p 

Who were its Priests ? 

Who were its Deities ? 

By whom was Belus worshiped, and where 
was his celebrated temple ? 

Who was Belus supposed to have been ? 

Who were the Chaldeans ? 

Who was Astarte ? 

What is the meaning of the words Baal 
and Moloch ? 

How does Milton describe the Canaanitish 
gods ? 

Who was Baal Peor ? 

Who was the principal Deity of the Phi- 
listines, and how is he desci \bed ? 

Who were the Gods of U'e Mexicans and 
Peruvians ? 

Who was Viracocha? 

What is the difference between the 
religion of the Peruvians and that of the 
Mexicans ? 

What was the name of the chief God of 
the Mexicans, and what account is given of 
him ? 

y 2 



INDEX. 



Acheron, a river of hell , , Page 9S 

Acldalia, a name of Venus 61 

AditI, consort of Casyapa, a Hindu goddess 133 

Adonis, a Phrygian deity 218 

Aganlppides, a name of the Muses 43 

Aglaia, one of the Graces 64 

Agnl, the Hindu genius of fire * 138 

Agnyastra, Hindu rocket 138 

Ahriraan, a Persian deity 185 

Alcldes, a name of Hercules 110 

Alcmena, the mother of Hercules 110 

Alecto, one of the Furies 102 

Amalthgea, the goat which nourished Jupiter 17 

Ammon, the Egyptian Jupiter 165 

Amphitrlte, the wife of Neptune 74 

Amshaspands, genii of the elements 177 

Ancllia, sacred shields 57 

Anna Perenna, a rural divinity 87 

Anubis, an Egyptian deity 161 

Aonides, a name of the Muses 43 

Apes, venerated by the Hindus 142 

Aphrodita, a name of Venus 61 

Apis, a name of Jupiter 16 

Apollo, the god of the fine arts 36 

Arabian Mythology 213 

Ares, a name of Mars 57 

Argonauts, the companions of Jason 114 

Arimaiuus, the author of evil 177 

r 3 



246 INDEX. 

Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun Page 139 

Ascalaphus, a son of Acheron 26 

Assablnus, a name of Jupiter 16 

Astarte, a name of Venus 61 

Astarte, a Phrygian goddess 218 

Astrea, Justice , , 104 

Astrolatry 122 

Athena, a name of Minerva 53 

Atlas 18 

Atropos, one of the Fates 103 

Aurora, a daughter of Sol 32 

Aiister, the south wind , 82 

Avatars, incarnations of Vishnu 143 

Avernus, a poisonous lake 93 

Ayeen Akbery, a Hindu book 139. 144 

Baal-Peor, the idol of the Moabites .7.... 217 

Babylonian mythology 213 

Bacchanalia, festivals of Bacchus 49 

Bacchantes, priestesses of Bacchus 49 

Bacchus, the god of wine 46 

Balder, a son of Odin 201 

Bassarides, priestesses of Bacchus 49 

Bellerophon, the conqueror of C him sera 116 

Bellona, the goddess of war 58 

Belus, a Babylonian deity 216 

Belus, a name of Sol 30 

Berecynthia, a name of Cybele 10 

Bhavarii, the wife of Seeva 137 

B if or mis, a name of Bacchus 47 

Bifrost, a bridge which reached from earth to heaven 202 

Bona Dea, the bountiful goddess 85 

Bonus-Eventus, a rural divinity 87 

Boreas, the north wind ..♦ •••••• •••• 82 



INDETX. 247 

Braga, a Scandinavian deity Page 202 

Brahma, a Hindu god 131 

Brahme, the supreme Hindu god ISO 

Brahmins, Hind & priests 148 

Brisasus, a name of Bacchus 47 

Brontes, one of the Cyclops , 68 

Biibona, the goddess of herdsmen 87 

Buddah, a pagan deity , 127 

Buddhism 127 

Bouto or Buto, an Egyptian goddess 171 

Cacus, a son of Vulcan *• 68 

Cadmus, the inventor of letters 109 

Calliope, one of the Muses 43 

Cama, the Hindu god of love „ 138 

Cam ill us, a name of Mercury , 71 

Canaanites' idolatry 217 

Carticeya, a Hindu god • 137 

Castalides, a name of the Muses 43 

Castalms, a fountain of Parnassus 43 

Castes, divisions of the Hindu people 148 

Castor, a son of Jupiter 114 

Casyapa, a Hindu god 133 

Cecrops, the founder of Athens 109 

Celtic mythology v . 188 

Centaurs, a people of Thessaly 115 

Cerberus, the three-headed dog 94 

Ceres, the goddess of corn 26 

Cestus, the girdle of Venus 62 

Chaldeans, Babylonian priests 216 

Chandra, a name of the moon 141 

Charon, the ferry-man of hell 93 

Charybdis, a sea monster 80 

Chimsera, a monster destroyed by Bellerophon 116 



248 INDEX. 

Chiron, a centaur ; tutor of Esculapius Page 109 

Chronos, the Grecian name of Saturn 6 

Circe, a daughter of Sol 34 

Citherides, a name of the Muses . 43 

Clio, one of the Muses 41 

Ciotho, one of the Parcse 103 

Cneph, God, worshiped in the Thebais 152 

Cocytus, a stagnant marsh , JS 95 

Cceculus, a son of Vulcan 68 

Coelus, the same as Uranus 5 

Collina, the goddess of hills 88 

Comus, the god of revelry 108 

Consualia, games in honour of Neptune 74 

Consus, a name of Neptune 74 

Coronis, the mother of Esculapius 108 

Corybantes, priests of Cyhele 11 

Corythaix, a name of Mars 57 

Creeshna, or Chrishna, the Hindu god of shepherds... 142 

Cromlecks, Celtic stones of sacrifice 192 

Cupid, the god of love 63 

Ciiretes, priests of Cybele 11 

Cybele, or Vesta the elder, the wife of Saturn 9 

Cyclops, the forgers of Jupiter's thunderbolts 68 

Cycnus, a friend of Phaeton 33 

Cylleniiis, a name of Mercury 71 

Cynthlus, a name of Apollo 37 

Cythera, a name of Venus , 61 

Pactyli, a name of the priests of Cybele 11 

Dffidaliis, the inventor of sails , 113 

Dagon, a god of the Philistines 218 

Banaus, the father of the Danaide 108 

Delos, a name of Apollo 37 

Delphicus, another name of Apollo 37 



XKDKt. 24$ 

Delphos, a famous oracle Page 40 

Demogorgon, the genius of the earth 83 

Deucalion, a hero of antiquity 109 

Dewtahs, malignant spirits , 131 

Diana, the goddess of the chase 44 

Dlctynna, a name of Diana 44 

Dies Pater, a name of Jupiter 19 

Dil Selecti, gods of the second class 4 

Dindymene, a name of Cybele * .... 10 

Dlonysia, festivals of Bacchus 49 

Dionysms, a name of Bacchus 47 

Dirse, a name of the Furies 102 

Dis, a name of Pluto 99 

Dodona, an oracle of Jupiter ♦ ....... 20 

Doris, the wife of Nereus 73 

Druids, Celtic priests M 191 

Dryades, wood nymphs , 82 

Durga, a name of Seraswatti <, 1 33 

Eacus, a judge of the infernal regions 101 

Echo, daughter of the air and earth 90 

Edda, a sacred book of the Scandinavians 207 

Egeon, a sea god 79 

Egipans, rural divinities 88 

Egis, the shield of Minerva 52 

Egyptian Mythology 1 50 

Elysian Fields, the abodes of the just 96 

Enyo, a name of Beilona 58 

Eolus, the god of the winds 82 

Eous, one of the horses of Sol 30 

Erato, one of the Muses 42 

Ergatls, a name of Minerva 53 

Eilethyia, an Egyptian goddess 170 

Eflctheus, a son of Vulcan 68 



250 INDEX* 

Erlnnys, the Furies . Page 102 

Erostratus, a famous incendiary 45 

Eryclna, a name of Venus 61 

Esculapius, the god of physic 108 

Ethon, one of the horses of Sol SO 

Eumemdes, the Furies 103 

Eiiphrosyne, one of the Graces 6 4 

Eurus, the east wind 82 

Euterpe, one of the Muses 42 

Euvyhe, a name of Bacchus 47 

Pates, the Parese 103 

Fauns, rural divinities 88 

Februus, a name of Pluto .. 99 

Fenris, a Scandinavian evil deity 205 

Flora, the goddess of flowers 86 

Forseti, a son of Odin 203 

Frea, a Scandinavian goddess 199 

Fulla, the handmaid of Frea 200 

Furies, the punishers of the guilty 101 

Galli, priests of Cybele 11 

Ganesa, a name of the Hindu god of wisdom 133 

Ganymede, the successor of Hebe 25 

Gayteree, an invocation to the sun 140 

Genii, domestic divinities 92 

Glaiicus, a sea god 79 

Glaukopis, a name of Minerva 53 

Gnomes, invisible agents 93 

Gorgons, Medusa, Euryale, and Stheno 117 

Graces, daughters of Jupiter 64 

Gradlvus, a name of Mars 57 

Grand Lama 126 



INDEX. 25 1 

Hades, a name of Pluto Page 99 

Halcyons, sea birds 81 

Hamad ryades, wood nymphs 82 

Harpies, Aello, Ocypete, Celeno 116 

Harpocrates, an Egyptian god 164 

Hebe, goddess of youth *.. v 25 

Hecate, a name of Diana 44 

Heimdal, a Scandinavian deity 202 

Hela, the Scandinavian goddess of death 204 

Heliades, daughters of Sol < S3 

Heliconides, a name of the Muses i 43 

Heliopolis, a city of Elysium 96 

Hera, a name of Juno 23 

Hercules, son of Jupiter and Alcmena 110 

Hermes, an Egyptian sage 160. 167 

Hermes, a name of Mercury 71 

Heroes of the Trojan war 115 

Heroes of the Theban war . 115 

Hertha, a name of the goddess Frea 119 

Hindu mythology 129 

Hindu pantheon 145 

Hindu sacrifices 143 

Hindu temples 145 

Hippocrenides, a name of the Muses 43 

Hippona, the goddess of horses 88 

Hoder, a son of Odin 202 

Horus, an Egyptian deity 1 60 

Howm, the burnt sacrifice of the Hindus ............... 141 

Hraesvelger, a Scandinavian deity 209 

Hyacynthusj the son of Amyclas ............ 38 

Idalia, a name of Venus 61 

Idsea, a name of Cybele 10 

Xduna, a Scandinavian goddess 203 



252 inuex. 

Inachtts, a hero of antiquity Page 10^ 

Indian pagodas % 

Indigetes, local deities 5 

Indra, a Hind& god . 134 

Ino, a sea god 79 

Iris, the attendant of Jupiter 25 

Irminsul, a Scandinavian deity 201 

Isis, a celebrated Egyptian goddess 157 

Jxlon, a criminal of the infernal regions 107 

Jaggernaut, a Hindu idol 147 

Janus, a deity of the ancient Romans 8 

Jason, the leader of the Argonauts 114 

Jou, the true name of Jupiter 19 

Jove, a name of Jupiter 19 

J ugatlnus, a rural divinity 88 

Juno, the wife of Jupiter 22 

Jupiter, the supreme god of the Pagans 15 

Jupiter Ammon, an Egyptian deity 165 

Kaloc, a Mexican god 221 

Labours of Hercules 110 

Lachesis, one of the Parcse 103 

Lachsmee, a Hindu goddess 133 

Ladon, the father of Syrinx 90 

Lama, Grand • 126 

Lares, household gods 91 

Larmida, the mother of the Lares 92 

Latona, the mother of Apollo 36 

Lemnius, a name of Vulcan 67 

Lerna, a marsh drained by Hercules 110 

Lethe, a river of hell 95 

Lofen, a Scandinavian deity 203 



INDEX. 253 

l*oke the Scandinavian god of evil Page 204 

Luna, Isis, Diana 44 

Lupercalia, feasts of Pan 89 

Luperci, priests of Apollo 89 

Lymniades, marsh nymphs 82 

Magi, Persian priests 179 

Mahabad, a Persian deity 179 

Mahasoor, a malignant spirit 131 

Maia, the mother of Mercury 70 

Mamacocha, a Peruvian deity 221 

Manes 104 

Mariatale, a Hindu goddess 138 

Marina, a name of Venus 61 

Mars, the god of war , 57 

Marsyas, a satyr killed by Apollo 38 

Maxlmus, a name of Jupiter 19 

Megaera, one of the furies 102 

Megale, a name of Juno 23 

Megalesia, festivals of Cybele 11 

Mellona, goddess of bees 87 

Melpomene, one of the Muses ♦ „ 42 

Menades, priestesses of Bacchus 49 

Menu, a name of a Hindu god 133 

Mercury, an Egyptian sage 155 

Mercury, the messenger of the gods .„ 69 

Meru, the north pole 134 

Mexican idolatry 219 

Midas, a king of Pmygia 38 

Mimer, a Scandinavian prophet 207 

Minerva, the goddess of wisdom 52 

Minos, one of the infernal judges 101 

Mendes, the Egyptian Pan 167 

Mithras, a Persian deity 184 

z 



254 



INDEX. 



Mnemosyne, the mother of the Muses Page 4t 

Moloch, a name of Sol 39 

Moloch, a Phenician deity 218 

Momiis, the god of laughter 108 

Mors, a daughter of Nox 104 

Mulciber, a name of Vulcan ., 67 

Muses, daughters of Jupiter 41 

Mythras, a name of Sol , 30 

Naiades, river nymphs 82 

Narac, the Hindu hell , 135 

Narayan, a Hindu god 130 

Narcissus 90 

N&nebis, the avenging goddess 103 

Neptune, god of the ocean 74 

Nepthys, the wife of Typhon 158 

Nereides, sea nymphs 73 

Nereus, the son of Oceanus , 73 

Niflheim, the Scandinavian hell 203 

Niorder, a Scandinavian deity 201 

Nouiius, a name of Apollo 37 

Nomius, a name of Mercury 71 

Nornes, the Scandinavian destinies 206 

Nox, the mother of the Furies 104 

NycteTms, a name of Bacchus ? 47 

Nysa?, the nurses of Bacchus f 47 

Oceanides, sea nymphs , 73 

Oceanus, the son of Ccelus and Terra 78 

Odin, or Wodin, a Scandinavian god , 196 

Opertum, the temple of Cybele at Rome 11 

Ops, the name of Cybele 10 

Optimus, a name of Jupiter 10 

Orcus, a name of Pluto 99 

OreadeSj mountain nymphs .....0 » 83 



INDRXi 255 

Orestes, the friend of Py lades Page 46 

Orgia, festivals of Bacchus 49 

Ormuzd, a Persian deity 183 

Oromazes, the author of all good 183 

Osiric superstition 12.5 

Osiris, an Egyptian deity 155 

Osiris, a personification of the sun 30 

Pachacamac, a name of Viracocha 221 

Paehamama, a Peruvian deity 221 

Pa?an, a name of Apollo , 37 

Paganism ,. 125 

Palemon, a sea god 79 

Pales, the goddess of shepherds 87 

Palilia, feasts of Pales 87 

Palladium, a sacred image of Minerva 54 

Pallas, Minerva 53 

Pan, the god of shepherds 88 

Panathensea, a festival in honour of Minerva 53 

Pantheism 124 

Papeus, a Scythian god 188 

Paphia, a name of Venus 61 

Parias, a caste or division of Hindus 138 

Parnassides, a name of the Muses 43 

Parnassus, a famous mountain 43 

Parthenos, a name of Minerva 53 

ParvatI, a name of Bhavani 137 

Pasithea, one of the Graces , 64 

Pavan, the Hindu god of winds 138 

Pegasides, a name of the Muses 43 

Pegasus, a winged horse 43 

Pelops, a hero of antiquity 109 

Penates, household gods 91 

Papremis, the Egyptian Mars 167 

z 2 



256 



INDEX. 



Persian Mythology p age m 

Peruvian idolatry 219 

Phaeton, a son of Sol 32 

Phebe, a name of Diana <t 44 

Philistines* idolatry 217 

Phlegethon, a river of fire . 95 

Phlegon, a horse of Sol 30 

Phlegyas, a king of Che Lapithae 106 

Phoebus, a name of Apollo 37 

Phorcus, a sea god 77 

Picumnus, a rural divinity 88 

Pierides, a name of the Muses 43 

Pilumniis, a rural divinity 88 

PMthous, the friend of Theseus 113 

Pithys, a nymph beloved by Pan 90 

Pluto, the god of the infernal regions 98 

Plutus, the god of riches . 99 

Pluvius, a name of Jupiter 19 

Pollear, a name of the Hindu god of wisdom 1 33 

Pollux, the twin-brother of Castor 114 

Polyhymnia, one of the Muses 42 

Polyphemus, the chief Cyclop 76 

Pomona, the goddess of orchards 86 

Populonia, a rural divinity 87 

Portumnus, a sea god 79 

Poseidon, a name of Neptune 74 

Priapus, the god of gardens 86 

Prlsca, the same as Vesta and Terra 5 

Prometheus 117 

Proserpine, the wife of Pluto 9'9 

Proteus, & <son of Neptune « 78 

Psyche, the wife of Cupid 64 

Pul, a Babylonian deity 217 

Pylades, the friend of Orestes , 46 



INDEX. 257 

Pyracmon, one of the Cyclops Page 68 

Pyrois, a horse of Sol SO 

Pythius, a name of Apollo 37 

Quietus, a name of Pluto 99 

Quirinus, a name of Mars ► • ^ 

Rama, an incarnate deity • 141 

Rhadamanthus, an infernal judge 101 

Rhea, a name of Cybele 10 

Rimmon, a Phrygian deity 218 

RobigUS, a rural divinity , 87 

Sabism, worship of the sun 179 

Saga, a Scandinavian goddess 203 

Salamanders, genii of fire 93 

SaTu, priests of Mars 57 

Sanscrit, the sacred language of the Hindus 149 

Saron, a sea god < 79 

Saturn 6 

SaturnaliS, a festival in honour of Saturn 9 

Saturnia, a name of Italy 8 

Satyavrata, a name of a Hindu god 133 

Satyrs, rural divinities 88 

Scandinavian mythology 188 

Scylla, a sea monster 80 

Scythian mythology 188 

Segesta, the protectress of corn during harvest 87 

Seisa, the protectress of corn in the ground 87 

Semele, the mother of Bacchus 46 

Semones, gods of a middle nature 5 

Serapis, an Egyptian god 16 

Sem, the Egyptian Hercules J62 

SeraswattI, the wife of Brahmd 167 



258 



INDEX. 



Seshanaga, the Hindu god of the infernal regions, Page 1 33 



Silenus, the chief of the Satyrs 91 

Sirens, female sea monsters 78 

Sisyphus, an infernal criminal 106 

Slta, the wife of Vishnu 141 

Siva, Seeva, Mahadeva, or Mahadeo, a Hindu god ... 131 

Sleipner, the name of Odin's steed 207 

Sol 29 

Somnus, the god of sleep 104 

Sphynx, a female monster 115 

Steropes, one of the Cyclops 68 

Styx, a river of hell ... 95 

Sumanus, a name of Pluto 99 

Superstitions of the Hindus 149 

Siiradevi, the goddess of wine 138 

Surtur, a genius of fire • 201 

Siirya, a name of the sun 139 

Svalin, a Scandinavian deity 209 

Swerga, the Hindu heaven 136 

Sylphs, aerial beings 93 

Sylvester, a name of Mars 57 

Synia, a Scandinavian deity 203 

Syrian idolatry 217 

Syrinx, the pipe of Pan 90 

Tahiti, the chief Scythian god J 85 

Tantalus, an infernal criminal 10* 

Taranus , a name of Jupiter • . • • 10 

Tardipes, a name of Vulcan 67 

Tartarus, the infernal prison 95 

Tellus, a name of Cybele 10 

Temple of Jaggernaut 146 

Temple of the sun in India , 139 

Teutates, the Celtic supreme 13° 



INDEX* " 259 

Tithrambo, a name of Isis Page 170 

Terminus, the guardian of boundaries 85 

Terpsichore, one of the Muses . 42 

Terra, the same as Vesta and Prisca 5 

Thalia, one of the Muses "42 

Thalia, one of the Graces 64 

Thaut or Thoth, the Egyptian Mercury 167 

Theseus, a famous hero of antiquity 113 

Thoas, a priest of Diana 46 

Thor, a Scandinavian god 200 

Thothic superstition , 126 

Thyades, prioetoee©© of Dacchus , 49 

Tisiphone, one of the Furies 101 

Titan, the brother of Saturn 6 

Titans, giants 105 

Tlthonus, the husband of Aurora 32 

Tityus, a giant killed by Apollo , 106 

Trismegistus, an Egyptian sage . e ... 170 

Triterica, festivals in honour ef Bacchus , 49 

Trltonia, a name of Minerva 53 

Tritons, marine animals 77 

Trophonms, an oracle of Jupiter 20 

Tutelina, a rural divinity 87 

Typhon and Nepthys, Egyptian deites 1 58 

Tyr, a Scandinavian deity 202 

Uller, a son of Odin 203 

Urania, one of the Muses • 43 

Uranus, the same as Coelus 5 

Urgus, a name of Pluto 99 

Vaivaswata, a name of Yama 135 

Valhalla, the hall of Odin 205 

Vali, a son of Odin *•»«••••••■#«»#••.. 208 



260 



INDEX* 



Valkyries, Scandinavian goddesses Page 205 

Vanadis, a name of the goddess Frea 199 

Vara, a Scandinavian deity 203 

Variina, the Hindu genius of the waters 138 

Vedas, the holy books of the Hindus 130 

Vesta, the goddess of fire , 12 

Vestal Virgins, priestesses of Vesta 12 

Venus j the goddess of beauty 60 

Vertumniis, the god of tradesmen . 86 

Vial is, a name of Mercury 71 

Victory, daughter of Styx and Acheron 59 

Vkiar, a son of Odin 203 

Viracocha, a Peruvian deity .' 221 

Vishnu, or Veeshnu, a Hindu god 130, 141 

Vitzliputzli, a Mexican god 220 

Voluspa, a sacred book of the Scandinavians 206 

Vulcan, the god of fire » 65 

The Wonders of the World 118 

Tama, or Yamen, the Hindu god of death 136 

Zend-Avesta, the sacred book of the Persians 180 

£ennar, the sacred cord of the Hindu priests ........... 140 

Zephyms, the west wind 8? 

Zeus, a name of Jupiter 19 

Zoroaster, a Persian priest 1 80 

THE END. 



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